Pete's Dragon Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs
A remake that (mostly) works.
Arriving on a fairly muted wave of hype, Pete's Dragon is the latest entry into Disney's ongoing series of live-action adaptations of animated classics...even if the original 1977 movie is decidedly lesser-known than almost everything else they've got lined up for the future.
With a fairly low-flying marketing campaign and barely any hype at all, it would've surprised few if this adventure flick ended up mediocre and as such came and went without a second thought. Thankfully, though, with a meticulous directorial hand steering the production, Pete's Dragon is a strong remake that overcomes its flaws with a ton of heart that family audiences should lap right up.
It's not going to be a monstrous hit in the vein of, say, Cinderella or The Jungle Book, but hopefully the sensible budget and strong word-of-mouth might push this to become one of the summer's most unexpected hits.
Here are 6 ups and 4 downs from Pete's Dragon...
Downs
4. Uneven Pacing
Even though it runs just 102 minutes in length, there's a genuine worry that younger viewers may be put off by the movie's slow, unassuming pace. It kicks off snappily enough, though once the central premise is established it quickly loses almost any sense of urgency until deep into the third act.
That's not to say the bulk of the movie is boring, because it absolutely isn't, but that viewers need to be prepared to soak in the characters and locations rather than eagerly anticipate each new plot development (as there honestly aren't all that many of them).
This does admittedly result in a few moments that probably could've been trimmed or moved along a little faster, though they in no way sink the film and are fairly minor quibbles overall.