Pete's Dragon Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

2. The Rough Editing

Here's a film that, for all its good points, nevertheless feels like it was a challenge to edit into a coherent whole: poor editing is frequently apparent throughout, especially during action sequences (where there are far too many quick cuts).

Director David Lowery (Ain't Them Bodies Saints) refuses to hold on key moments, rushing through them while lingering on more mundane scenes (usually featuring the adults), and the result is a film that feels like it was chopped up and just barely sculpted into shape.

It's all the more bizarre as Lowery himself has edited a ton of films, so you'd expect him to understand the discipline better than most and ensure his film feels silky smooth from start to finish.

Again, it doesn't kill the movie, but the rough editing job does take away a little of that pristine Disney sheen you'd hope for.