Pete's Dragon Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

2. Robert Redford Is Awesome (Of Course)

Surprise, surprise, Robert Redford is once again a major credit to a movie, even though his role is fairly small here. Redford plays Bryce Dallas Howard's father and serves as the film's occasional narrator, though gets a more significant role in the second half of the movie as he attempts to help the kids rescue Elliott.

Aside from appearing to defy the laws of physics by looking perpetually sixty years old, Redford's warmth radiates through the entire movie and gives it a major charm injection, which is just as well considering how pallid the majority of the movie's adult characters are.

The 79-year-old acting legend could've easily phoned this one in, but seems genuinely invested in the material and imbues it with a pleasantly grandfatherly sheen.