Pete's Dragon Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

4. Excellent Child Performances

The adults may not be up to much of interest on the whole, but the child actors absolutely knock this one out of the park. Relative newcomer Oakes Fegley makes for a highly compelling Pete, all the more commendable given that he spends large portions of the film acting opposite a CGI creation, yet still manages to convey a lot of range and sell the bond between boy and dragon.

Then there's Oona Lawrence, who plays his new friend Natalie, and was a less-surprising success given how she turned a lot of heads with her memorable performance in last year's Southpaw.

The pair are the heart and soul of the film, envisaging the adventure through relatable eyes for younger audiences, not that they're any less compelling for adults either. Child actors are always a risky prospect, but in Oakes and Lawrence, they've found two of the better ones working in big-budget Hollywood fare right now.