Thoughts on DreamWorks’ “Home”
Probably a bit predictably, I made sure to run up and support DreamWorks with their latest movie “Home,” and I would encourage you - if you haven’t already - to hop into theatres for this story, too.
I will not be talking spoilers here in my commentary until I explicitly say I will be talking spoilers, so it is safe for anyone to start reading below. Much of this write-up is simply general thoughts and impressions I received from my first go-round with this story.
The first thing I will say is that I was having a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day and was about ready to eat nails and shoot them like machine gun bullets at anyone around me. Yes, it really was that bad of a day. However, when I went to see the movie with a cheerful, fellow animation loving friend, my mood went from seething angry to really pleasantly uplifted.
What most stands out to me is that the story did not even try to take itself seriously. I have not read the book upon which “Home” is based, but whatever that story was like, it was clear that the DreamWorks storytellers just wanted to have fun. Two minutes into the film, I could totally tell that they were not worrying about being flashy or logical or complicated or sophisticated. They were there to be silly and upbeat and happy and mischievous and lightheartedly ridiculous. I mean come on. Popcorn was one of the most sophisticated weapons used.
It is true that the Boov are unrealistically dumb. They are really, really dumb. While some audience members might see that as dumbing down the story and catering to a younger crowd, I saw that as a means of the writers enjoying themselves with a non-intellectual, nutty civilization. It is an intended part of the charm of the story for the aliens to be so airheaded they wear traffic cones on their head, have all their passwords be “password,” and decide that bicycles, toilets, and accordions are useless inventions. Even other non-Boov plot points, such as the negation of gravity or the reassembling of the Earth in an impossibly short period of time, was not bothered to be explained or depicted “realistically”. Some people might find it frustrating. I did occasionally, but took it more as a reason to smile. Again, the entire point is to be non-serious and just have fun!
Sure, I did feel there were some parts that were more juvenile than others. I did feel there were missed opportunities. I did feel there were a number of superficial elements such as a simplified storyline, a lack of delving into important issues, and dialogue that over-pounded the story’s moral themes rather than incorporating those points more naturally.
* movie content and minor spoilers discussed below *