Elio Review
Serviceable enough entertainment, Elio never really hits major heights in its examination of uniqueness and loneliness.
When alien-obsessed Elio (Yonas Kireab) is swept up to space after arguing with his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana), he believes he has found a new home in the Communiverse. But with villainous Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) breathing down the neck of his new home, he must find a way to stop them - even if it means learning to not judge a book by its cover.
Elio is, undoubtedly, a whimsical space exploration. There are plenty of amazing visuals to be had, particularly as the titular character journeys through the wonders of this outer-space planetary body. The film also has a lot of fun with some of the villainous aspects, playing with their sharp and spiky exterior and giving them a squishy, malleable interior.
On Earth, there are occasional bright spots too, but ultimately Elio never creates a striking visual moment for the viewer that really sets it apart.
On the story front, the same can be said again. This movie explores loneliness, uniqueness and loss in a way that can at times be effective, but for the most part this film struggles to really make you feel. The plot is just not there; hamfisted, jumping majorly from plot point to plot point with little sense, and wrapping up in all too convenient a way, there’s no real struggle here for our hero to get behind. Additionally, his ultimate learning is one that is so significantly internal, after such a stretch of him making angry choices that truly set the audience against him, that you’ll find the payoff underwhelming.
The trailer for this film has his fractitious relationship with his aunt as the key instigator for him being swooped up and taken away by aliens (there are a number of trailer moments that never make it into this film). The actual film presents it differently, with her having sent him to camp and aliens taking him while he is being bullied, as opposed to while his aunt is actively ignoring him on the phone. One things that perhaps this was done to make the aunt more sympathetic, but if that was the case then this points directly to the major problem of this film; that Elio comes across as an ass, all the time.
It’s tough to root for Elio in this movie, but if you can set aside that and let it wash over you, it’s a relatively inoffensive Pixar entry.
