Movie Review: Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken

 

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review.

For over centuries, we’ve heard all those tales from movies, litterateurs, poems or mythologies surrounding about the terrifying beasts known as a the “Sea Creatures”, we’ve heard plenty of creeps from the deep that will haunting us, from Kraken, Leviathan, Moby Dick, Gillman and… Gillwoman… Or is it, Gillgirl?? Whatever you call in desperate of genderbent version of Gillman, its exactly why we’re in the main subject of today’s review.

“Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” is a 2023 animated action-comedy film that was directed by Kirk DeMicco, produced by Kelly Clooney Cilella, and written by Pam Brady, Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi.

From two years ago, originally called “meet the Gillman”, Paul Tibbitt (who used to work as a showrunner of SpongeBob SquarePants), came to mind to having a movie about a sea creature meets the human world, with the help of the writer Pam Brady as the writer. However, while Pam was staying involved, Tibbitt bowed out from the project and replaced by Kirk DiMicco as the new director, while the setting remains the same about sea creature live in human life, but with dark secret, he took an inspiration of John Hughes films, along with three others Easy A, Lady Bird and Booksmart. Basically in a nutshell, he came up with a mix of sea creature meets humans with inspiration of comedy style from John Hughes. Though I was doubtful if its gonna fit from another familiar comedy film director that he brought us National Lampoon’s Vacation, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Home Alone or heck even The Breakfast Club.

So, with all that said, will Ruby be nice and welcome to the humans, or being a Kraken to humans isn’t a good idea that city turning into a sinking ship?

Well, lets find out.

The Story

While it sounds like a promising idea involving a teenage girl in normal form and sea creature form, but… I just wish it would’ve been new…

We introducing Ruby Gillman herself, where she got herself a fresh start to the school of Oceanside High with having new friends Margot, Trevin, and Bliss and got herself a crush on Conner. But once she got herself a freak accident that Conner and she fell into water, Ruby got herself at risk that she’s transforming into Kraken form. But at the same time, she meets a new girl name Chelsea, which at first, we had no idea how did she “saved” Conner. After freaking herself that she’s a monster, she needs understand how she’s become thanks to secret truth that she received from Uncle Brill, which she meets her queen of Kraken, Grandmamah (go figure…) to teaching her about the life and the civilization of Kraken over the dreaded Mermaids, but once she’s leaving after learning, along with nearly caught from Captain Lighthouse, she’s saved by Chelsea, who happens to be a unlikely mermaid to leaving about her life and maybe bonding together. Its up to Ruby Gillman to live in double life to live in normal in school, despite she wants to be in prom so badly, while also teaching herself from her Grandmamah about her abilities in Kraken form.

Now, this may sounds like a promising idea involving a new girl, who isn’t a human, but a Gillman to meeting and befriend with humans (I know its been done before, but at least Ruby isn’t a mermaid, though we’ll get to the latter part later) and learning about herself in Kraken form. But that’s where my compliment of the film’s idea came to end very quickly, mainly because this movie feels like its been done before. But you’re easily wonder “What movie it feels like done before?”, well, one film that im easily pointing out the similarity is Turning Red by Pixar. Yes, Ruby Gillman is basically a sea creature version of Turning Red, they both shares the same thing, its about a main teenage girl who’s living in school, befriends with some, got her overprotective mother and even learning about the monstrous forms. But the difference is Mei-Lei turns into big human size red panda thanks to the most common girls problem is having puberty, aka first period, which at least it makes sense how she got herself in real life problem, but into a red panda. But Ruby on the other hand, it was all just a freak accident out of nowhere that she didn’t know she’s a Kraken due to her mom always wanna keep in secret (for the most part). Like, its easily no escape when they nearly copy the idea from Turning Red, though I said NEARLY, cause at least they have a different plot like learning about Ruby’s Kraken form about her special abilities and having a bond with Chelsea, even if Ruby should’ve warned about mermaids are threatening against Kraken, which is easy to predict for what happens next, but again, not gonna tell for the SPOILER. Unfortunately, while its a one in a half hour long film, but this film’s writing is very poor, its mainly because the movie got itself a fast-paste that we won’t be able to understand about Chelsea (kinda) or even how Ruby has been in school and her build up to the prom, making the writing not only poor, but also underdeveloped. They also trying to make some humors, but ohhh boy, while it does work in one part, but all of those jokes they’re trying to give us are BARELY jokes that I wasn’t able to chuckle nor even laughing out loud, I guess its no wonder why I got too distracted over the montage and action scenes.

Though the movie may have a promising idea, but everything went down for shameless story, unavoidable prediction and even sad little humors.

The Animation

Im not a fan of this film’s animation, but il give a credit for the fascinating quality and the effects of this movie.

For the background, they look fine with a small town at Oceanside, which il give a credit for the colorful apartments and some unique designs. I also the castle of Kraken that it looks vibrant and colorful, kinda flashing that its populated with Kraken, and Gillmans. But one background design that I like is the volcano-like that its beautiful lights and showing some shiny quality, even though its made of obstacle about the trident, but still, looks fantastic.

Of course, the quality and the effects looks pretty good, for the details of clothing with some sparkling design, the aforementioned quality from the volcano-like, the lighting in Kraken’s body and even the water with its realistic feel.

Then came to the character design, honestly, I know they’re still doing the cartoony-like design, they’re more like to have short body with longer limbs, which im rather iffy for the design. The human designs are fine that il give it a pass, aside Chelsea looks is clearly like the evil clone version of Ariel from the 1989’s The Little Mermaid, jeez, this is like the second time Dreamworks like to making fun of Ariel since the opening scene in Shrek 2.

But as for Gillman’s design, while I may like when they’re in normal form, despite they have some squash and stretch appearance, like Ruby Gillman with with stretching is fine, but Brill’s animation can easily exaggerated for his own squash and stretch. But when Ruby Gillman or Grandmamah in a Kraken form… Yeah, they don’t look like a Kraken, they look more like Cecaelia, which is like mermaids but with tentacles than fish fins are legs. I mean, I know sometimes Krakens are different these days, but this one wasn’t even feel like a Kraken to me. But they’re fine, I guess...

But I think the highlight of the movie that im more distracted than humors are the action scenes. They’re more like the best part of the movie where Ruby got herself into trouble in a Kraken form, a montage of demonstrating her power and skills and even the big battle at the third act, but again, not gonna spoil it.

But another one that I like (though nothing to do with the animation) is the music composed by Stephanie Economou, which I enjoy the soundtrack to give with performed by Mimi Webb and Freya Ridings.

While I really wish if the animation could’ve been similar to The Bad Guys or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the animation is good for say the least for its quality, the effects, a creative background and I find Gillman and Kraken forms are 50/50.

The Characters

Now, you think the characters can’t be the same as the aforementioned Turning Red that I compared based on shameless and questionable writing? Well, kinda, are they likable? Well I wish…

Lets starting off our titular character, Ruby Gillman (voiced Lana Condor) a main fresh student for her new life, but foiled when turned into Kraken form, which she’s gotta learn about her life and her family’s secret. I find her to be fairly descent, she’s curious and yet kinda awkward start, even if, much when we’re son or daughter, want to know what’s behind about our family. Even if she could be… Too curious if the writing kinda made her look dumb (aka naïve) for the predictable third act. Though il give a credit for good performance of Condor.

Next up, we have Agatha Gillman (voiced by Toni Collette), a real estate and typically an overprotective mother to keep her family in secret. She’s pretty much a typical overprotective mother, especially for not bringing Ruby to prom (since the prom party is on the boat). Which my only guess is she’s trying to be like Ming Lei from Turning Red, but her execution is just weak that she has no development due to weak writing from pacing problem, making Agatha a forgettable protective mother, which it really sucks, which il give a credit for good performance of Toni, either or deserves better than being left minimal from, again, pacing problem.

After that, we have Grandmamah (voiced by Jane Fonda, yup, its her again since my hated film of this year, 80 for Brady), a warrior queen of seven seas with her kind and her Gillmans who’s obviously a grandmother of Ruby, she plays like a mentor figure to teaching her about the history of her past of her kind, a struggling battle against mermaids and having her daughter bowed out to the surface, along with training Ruby to be the next warrior princess. I find her also descent, but like I said due to pacing, it kinda weakens her, but she’s certainly better than Agatha being underdeveloped. But, to be fair for Fonda, at least she did a fun work of her role, certainly better than being in 80 for Brady (God I hate this movie that I reviewed…!).

Next, we have Chelsea Van Der Zee (voiced by Annie Murphy) a new girl in the school who’s almost like a mean girl for her snobbish personality and secretly a mermaid, whether or not she lives or ran away from her family. I find her not bad too to have a chemistry with Ruby, but again, the execution isn’t gonna work for reminder that the mermaids are evil back then, whether or not of Chelsea is evil or ran away from her family, but like I said, its the prediction that got us, but not in a good way, but again, not gonna spoiling it to reminder of befriend with evil kind, doesn’t make a world work, for Krakens at least. But yes, like I said before, I know its easy to make fun of her as a mean girl version of Ariel from the 1989’s The Little Mermaid based on the obvious design. Again, despite the weak writing for predictable, at least Annie did a nice work of her role.

As for the rest, they’re really not much to say, either for plot purpose or wasting their times for unfunny jokes.

There’s Brill (voiced by Sam Richardson) who’s the uncle of Gillman’s family with his poor humor attempt that he’s rather annoying, aside to giving us a plot convenience, Arthur (voiced by Coleman Domingo) who’s Ruby’s father who’s unfortunately being a near no-show due to the film’s facing, Sam (voiced by young Blue Chapman) who’s an energetic troublemaker young brother (or great, another ripping off from Pixar, this time, a sea creature version of Dash from The Incredibles), Conner (voiced by Jaboukie Young-White) who’s Ruby’s crush, but sadly, no purpose for the plot, aside of being saved by Ruby herself, Captain Lighthouse (voiced by Will Forte) who’s an old sailor for tour to fish hunting, SPOILER ALERT, he’s not a villain, and Ruby’s friends, Margot, Trevin and Bliss (voiced by Liza Koshy who’s a Youtube personality, Eduardo Franco and Ramona Young) who’re there for either another plot convenience to of course, cheap humors what, again, describing as “funny”, but poorly.

While I may like some of the characters, but its just that because poor writing from pacing, it makes 75% characters being underdeveloped and worthless to make a humors.

And now for my final opinion of this film.

Overall, Ruby Gillman is the film that I was questioned at first, but opened that maybe it won’t be that bad, but after watching, it was nothing but a disappointing film that Dreamworks ever gave us.

I wanted to liking this movie, cause I like the idea of this movie, the view with fascinating qualities and effects, the action scenes fun voice acting and some good characters.

But it felt flat VERY BADLY with writing being poorly written because of its pacing, some characters are forgettable for being underdeveloped because of again, its pacing, the character designs are ok to iffy for me and the jokes are so bad that they’re not even funny to give us…!

Its a very average film in a disappointing result for a movie made by Dreamworks since their last year’s comeback, but they fell apart with this, especially with their poor opening weekend at the box-office as im writing this. Is this film a worth of watch? I… Really don’t know, this is another film that you gotta watch one if you like it or not. But to be fair, its not Dreamworks’ worst movie ever, and its not the worst movie I’ve ever watched.

For my rating, I gonna have to give it a 5/10.

So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.