Luca Movie Review

Luca (2021)

Watch the trailer
Written by:  Enrico Casarosa & Simon Stephenson (story by), Jesse Andrews & Mike Jones (screenplay by)
Directed by: Enrico Casarosa
Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan
Rated: PG

Plot
On the Italian Riviera, an unlikely but strong friendship grows between a human being and a sea monster disguised as a human.

Verdict
Beautifully scripted and true to Pixar form it looks great. This does such a great job with the characters, their motivations, and their fears. It's those same traits that make for such emotional moments later. It's an endearing movie, and the strength lies not in the creativity as with typical Pixar movies, but in how well the story is executed and how real these characters feel.
Watch It.

Review
Inside Out is one of my favorite Pixar films for its ingenious world building. Some of the best Pixar films develop a unique or fantastical setting like Wall-E or Coco. While Luca's setting is just an Italian town, it does such a good job with the characters. As with nearly all of Pixar's films the animation is gorgeous.

This wastes little time in getting started. Luca is an imaginative, cautious, and curious sea monster. He's lured to the surface by another sea monster, Alberto. They both dream of obtaining a Vespa from the city, a vehicle that can take them anywhere. It's easy to see where this will go. The nearby city will lure them. While Luca's parents try to protect him from that city and its sea monster hating inhabitants by sending him away, that just sends him to the city to escape.

Jack Dylan Grazer and Jacob Tremblay play Alberto and Luca.

Luca and Alberto discover a local tournament that could help them win a Vespa. Of course the reigning champion is the local bully. They team up with fellow underdog Giulia to win the contest. A rift grows between Luca and Alberto as Luca grows closer to Giulia, Luca fueled by wanting to learn about the world. I love how the movie explains Alberto's jealousy. At first it seems rather typical, but his feelings aren't blind jealousy.

Luca is a sea monster.

The underlying problem is that Luca and Alberto are sea monsters that only appear to be human. Their secret could be exposed at any moment just by getting wet.

Everything converges at the race. The movie has developed these characters and situations, and the race forces them to confront their fears and character traits. Luca is forced to either save his friend or protect himself. It's an emotional moment. From there they are faced with an even bigger decision.

The movie examines the desire to fit in while being very different. Luca and Alberto hide who they are. As long as they are dry they look human. The movie knows how to build to the big moments with a lot of emotion and then deliver those payoffs. The reason those big moments have such an impact is due to how well the movie has developed the characters. A lot of the plot points have been done before, but this movie puts them together so well. The choices the characters face force them to confront their biggest fears.

SPOILERS

Alberto isn't jealous of Luca and Giulia. He's sad. Alberto has been alone for so long, and Luca was the friend for which he was hoping. He's scared he'll be alone again. Alberto outs Luca as a sea monster so they can remain friends. Luca rejects Alberto in favor of trying to pass as a human because he wants to go to school.

At the race Giulia and Luca are competing separately, but she knows he's a sea monster and is worried for him.

Luca does well in the race, but is faced with having to save Alberto or expose himself as a sea monster. Doing the right thing defies Luca's cautious nature. Luca and Alberto get the chance to escape, but decide to help Giulia and risk their safety. 

Luca and Alberto are confronted by a city that hates sea monsters, but it works out a lot easier than it would in reality. For a kid's movie, it's endearing. I don't fault it for the rather easy conclusion.