Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken (2023) User Reviews

Average DreamWorks

[cardsrock · 6/10 · 5 September 2023]

It's almost like DreamWorks threw Turning Red and Luca into a blender and out popped this film. Not saying that's a bad thing, as those are both enjoyable films, but Ruby Gilman is left lacking originality with a pretty generic story and lessons. It's mostly harmless entertainment designed for young girls, which is nice since there aren't a whole lot of movies for that age group specifically focused on their experiences.

There are bright colors and visuals galore, accompanied by some decent laughs. I enjoyed the dad character the most. Plenty of fun pop bops are scattered throughout which add to the enjoyment as well. This won't compete for best animated film of the year, but it's far from the worst either.

Typical Movie Experience, Good Family Film

[joe_jr · 6/10 · 19 June 2023]

The film's story/plot was lower tier for a Dreamworks Animation movie, but overall the film was decent. The film was at best comparable to Spies in Disguise (2019), Abominable (2019), or Ron's Gone Wrong (2021) (comparable to these films in the following categories:).

The film's animation was fairly good, on par with other animations of the last few years. Some "out of this world" character designs make the film more stand out a bit, but does not add to character memorability. The soundtrack is upbeat and chipper, with some more modern music. The score has some epic and heavy "hits/boojs" that rumble the theater, so it's got an immersive aspect to it.

Characters were less relatable than characters of other other films, but still goofy and fun-loving. This is mostly due to the 2-dimensionality of the secondary characters, but generally audiences, especially children, will not care/notice and will laugh at their antics.

The film's writing is reminiscent of Turning Red (2022), with a lot of parallels in the storyline such as: family lineage (females of the family turning into krakens), controlling the transformation by remaining calm, hiding the truth from the main character till they learn for themselves etc., with some slight variation. Basically what you've seen in the trailer.

I really look forward to the moral values and deeper meaning behind the films I watch, however I felt the film lacked in this area. The moral of the film is really to "love yourself" and to not hide it from others, but also trusting that "mothers know best." While I like the morals, it's not like Paw Patrol (2021) or Coco (2017), where the moral is both memorable and powerful (being emotion driven).

Overall the film is a typical movie-going experience, with some action, entertaining visuals and story, and upbeat soundtrack. Audiences will tend to laugh and enjoy the animation/color of the film more than they'll watch for the story/emotional value. Worth a family trip to the movies, but more-so a one-and-done film viewing experience. 6.5/10.

Wasn't this already done in Turning Red?

[jxmsncz · 5/10 · 26 August 2023]

The movie was ok...graphics were good and it was a decent attempt at a story of teenage puberty and female body changes... But I feel like I just saw this with Turning Red. It has a decent premise but it just seems like someone wanted to create a twist on the Little Mermaid while including puberty into the mix. Not that we can't use more movies empowering females and awkward teenage phases but it just felt like it had already been done before... Giant Panda versus Giant Kraken, mother was a Giant Kraken and it only happens to females in the family in similarity to women turning into Giant Pandas in Turning Red. It just felt like a bit too much overlap for me or at least too soon after the other movie was released.

Neat Idea, clunky execution

[lukeanderson-23481 · 6/10 · 3 July 2023]

The titular character is honestly a very lovable character, and her anxieties surrounding managing the two sides of her life; the struggles of her teenage life and her new challenges of being a giant kraken. The film suffers from a multitude of small problems that build up to kind of lessen the experience. Weird exposition along with elements of the plot not being explained until the plot requires it. The film could have done better to blend the two elements, and with some ironing out of the details, it could have been much better. The movie is visually stunning, with very energetic 3D animation. As it is, the movie is definitely worth a watch, as it's the best mermaid movie in theaters now. At least watch it for the Mr. Gillman ASMR.

Prime real estate for the 6-14 age range

[lojitsu · 7/10 · 20 June 2023]

Here's The 4K Lowedown on the advanced screening of "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken" (PG - 2023 - Theater) Release Date: 6/30/23

Genre: Animated/Family

My Score: 7.3 Cast=9 Acting=6 Plot=5 Ending=9 Story=6 Art=8 Voice=9 Music=10 Family=6 Funny=5

A shy teen learns that her destiny lies in the depths of the waters, which is bigger than she could have ever imagined.

"Ok Ruby...have a completely, totally, ordinary day...you've got this." This was a cute film...one that I think caters to the younger audience more so than the parents. This looked to be prime real estate for the 6-14 range, as it felt a lot like Turning Red. I would have bought it on physical...my autistic granddaughter would like this, I think. With good artwork, great voiceovers, and a fantastic soundtrack, this makes for a pretty good watch.

Honestly don't have much to say about this...

[melonhulkhead · 4/10 · 11 July 2023]

This sure was...a movie. I don't really know what to say. The story was fine. The animation was fine. The music was was fine. The voice acting varied from decent to awful. The character designs were awful outside of the Gillmans and the mermaid. The dialogue was unbelievably cringe. That's about it. It had one of the most basic plots in Dreamworks library and that's saying a lot. I'm just struggling to find anything relevant to say for a review that's how lackluster this movie was.

I guess the training montage was quite fun and had cool visuals and sound design?

None of the characters really felt very relevant outside of Ruby, her grandmother and the mermaid. Everyone either had light relevance or was just used to fill in gaps and stretch the movie out to an hour and a half. There was an entire subplot with the sea captain guy and the men in the family which ultimately led to nothing and was mildly entertaining until you realise it's completely filler.

That's literally it. Maybe if I was a 10 year old girl then I could have had a better time but that doesn't change the fact that this movie had little to no depth or an interesting message or even plot. I can't believe I'm saying this but I almost fell asleep and that honestly never happens with me. Basically you can tell exactly why this was barely advertised... 4/10 since there were honestly more negatives than positives.

Relies too heavily on themes and tropes of other animated films to raise itself above being merely a serviceable watch.

[MrDHWong · 6/10 · 7 September 2023]

"Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken" is an animated feature film by DreamWorks Animation. Directed by Kirk DiMicco ("The Croods") and featuring the voices of Lana Condor, Toni Collette, and Jane Fonda, it relies too heavily on themes and tropes of other animated films to raise itself above being merely a serviceable watch.

In the seaside town of Oceanside, socially awkward teenager Ruby Gillman (voiced by Lana Condor) lives with her Kraken family who try desperately to fit in with regular humans. Ruby wishes to attend her upcoming high school prom but her mother Agatha (voiced by Toni Collette) forbids her due to the event taking place on a ship in the ocean. After being convinced by her friends to go anyway, Ruby musters up the courage to ask out her crush Connor (voiced by Jaboukie Young-White) as her date but she knocks him into the water by accident. Left with no other choice, Ruby jumps into the ocean and saves him but soon learns that exposure to sea water causes her to transform into a giant monstrous Kraken. When her family find out about her transformation, Ruby runs away underwater to meet her grandmother (voiced by Jane Fonda), the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas, to hopefully learn more about her origins.

Anybody with even a passing interest in ocean mythology should be familiar with the Kraken - a huge, terrifying sea monster that has become the stuff of legends among well-travelled sailors of many centuries past. The creature's large size and frightening appearance was said to strike fear into the hearts of those unlucky enough to sail into its territory, especially given its apparent ability to completely drag ships underwater to their doom. Although modern scientific explanations now exist to disprove this as nothing more than a myth, the popularity of the Kraken legend still continues even to this day thanks to its lingering presence in pop culture. One such example of this is the 2023 animated feature "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken", which features the Kraken as a geeky high school girl wanting to be accepted by others, in a film that feels more like a lazy recycling of better social outcast movies rather than an attempt to create something hip and exciting for all ages.

Conceptually, I do kind of like the idea of a giant sea monster protagonist longing to viewed as normal, but at no point did I ever feel like it was being told to us in a way that can separate it from other movies that have already dealt with similar thematic plot lines. From the moment Ruby enters her high school and interacts with the other students, you can already tell right away what kind of movie this is going to be - the socially awkward high schooler must find a way to be accepted by others in spite of unusual circumstances. Sound familiar? That's because so many other movies have done this idea before. As a result, I just never felt fully invested in Ruby's character because I already know how it is all going to turn out for her in the end. It's obvious that Ruby's Kraken powers are going to show themselves at inopportune times to ruin important moments. This leads to cliched scenes where she bumbles her way through asking her crush out to the prom as well as her Kraken abilities causing accidental destruction to town property. The film does try to mitigate this with one mildly amusing joke - by having the Gillman family claim that they are originally from Canada, meaning that they do things differently over there compared to America.

In addition to this, there are also too many plotholes and unexplained elements that prevent the story from becoming fully engaging to the audience. We see that Ruby and her family have settled into their lives on the mainland, with her mother Agatha taking up a regular job as a real estate agent and her father Arthur (voiced by Colman Domingo) live-streaming himself building model ships inside bottles. At school, Ruby has a small group of close friends who always seem to support her and it appears that her crush Connor also reciprocates her feelings towards him. What bothers me here is that Ruby and her family hardly ever look like they're outcasts in the traditional sense, as they are each relatively well liked by most of the regular humans. They aren't seriously discriminated against for looking different nor does anyone question where they initially came from. Even the Gillman family's obvious sea creature physical appearances don't seem to deter anybody, so if they really are supposed to be outcasts, how come their unusual fishy features don't cause more people to ask questions? They all stick out quite prominently so either the townspeople are being incredibly polite or everyone is blind to what is right in front of them.

Also, it is established that the family chooses to live near the ocean because they require moisture to survive, even though this is the exact place that can lead to the very problems that end up arising for them. While this does make some sense due to their fish-like biology, there are plenty of other logical spots away from the ocean for the Gillmans to live, like an inland lake or a river in the mountains that would be better if they wish to avoid attracting too much suspicion. It's possible that they exclusively need salt water for moisture but this is never brought up at any point in the story so for all we know it could be any kind of water that helps them thrive. This may seem like a minor complaint to some but to me it is something that completely undermines the purpose of having a story about a family of Krakens wanting to live normal lives among humans when they are literally right next to the place that can expose them instantly at any given time. And to no one's surprise, that's exactly what happens.

Despite all of these storytelling issues, the film is at least very nice to look at. Scenes that take place underwater are quite beautifully animated, especially the ones where Ruby is swimming through the ocean embracing her Kraken heritage. There's also some solid use of atmospheric ambience when Ruby meets her grandmother (referred to as "Grandmamah") for the first time at her undersea palace. In what is essentially a scene of world-building exposition, Grandmamah tells Ruby the backstory of the Krakens through use of different coloured aquatic species such as Leviathans and Mermaids. What could have been something otherwise overlooked by most viewers becomes a visual treat for the eyes as Grandmamah explains the reasoning for the Kraken's underserved reputation as evil monsters of the deep. This is done via the illuminated neon-lighting which helps the audience better understand why the Krakens have to prevent another war from breaking out between the different species. If the film had included more moments like this, then perhaps it could have been a more enjoyable viewing experience the whole way through as opposed to just one cliche after another.

The film's voice acting is also handled rather well, with Lana Condor injecting some much needed likability into the title character. As generically written as she may be, I think Condor's energetic performance as Ruby prevented me from losing all interest in her as a whole, because she is at least knows how to command the audience's attention. I also thought Toni Collette stood out as Ruby's mother Agatha, who desperately tries to relate to her daughter's problems. Some of my favourite scenes were of Agatha and Ruby conversing as mother and daughter, with the two not always seeing eye-to-eye on how they should each be living their lives on dry land. Jane Fonda voices Grandmamah not just as a grandparent but as a regal figure, who takes her position as an underwater Warrior Queen very seriously. Though she's mainly there for exposition, Grandmamah does have one notable scene near the end which I did enjoy, even it was significantly shorter than I had hoped it would be.

Given the amount of creative problems that are holding it back, "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken" isn't a complete misfire but it still leaves a lot to be desired. There just isn't enough in this movie that warrants a recommendation to anyone besides small children and their parents. It isn't what I would consider a bad movie by any means, as its quick pace prevents total boredom and at a modest 91 minutes in length, it is at least short enough to hold a young child's attention span. As for everyone else, you're better off investing that time in something far more worthwhile.

I rate it 6/10.

Cliché after cliché

[Remmuchan · 4/10 · 8 July 2023]

I really wanted to enjoy this movie. The trailers made it feel so awesome. 20 minutes into it, I already could tell it was such a cliché movie and that everything following would be the same. It felt like it was trying too hard to be a teenage movie and a lot of the jokes just fell flat. It felt so rushed and like they were just trying to check mark what makes a good movie. I am honestly so disappointed in this. I had high expectations. It also strongly felt like they brought in all the characters of the Mean Girls movie and tried to apply the same story here in a different way. Mixed messages for sure. I do not recommend.

I loved this movie. It had some parts I thought were lacking. But great.

[G-Joshua-Benjamin · 6/10 · 30 June 2023]

My mom and I went to see this today. I had no idea what it was about. But I like cartoons. Here are my thoughts.

First, I loved the way it looked. We went to see another animation a week or so ago. It was one that had many good elements to it. But that and this looked nothing alike. I enjoyed the differences.

The voice work was amazing. Two of the girls, if I could put their voices into a machine and just have them say words when I hit a button I would. They were very soothing.

I thought it had a good story.

What did I think was lacking.

Well, compared to the other animation we watched, this one seemed to be much more in a box. Meaning, that as far as the story and characters went, over time, you knew you had watched all you were going to. It seemed to lack an advancing story.

This movie seems as if it were much more geared towards children. Which I have no problem with.

When it was over, I think everyone clapped. So that is good.

As soon as I can pre order this I will.

Oh, my mom said that she thought the animation in this movie as compared to the other we saw was nowhere near as good. I told her the companies are totally different. Each is known for their own art.

They also had some good music.

Turning Red but worse

[educunhaholanda · 5/10 · 30 June 2023]

The impression of watching this movie is that DreamWorks tried to make their own version of Turning Red, which ended up being something boring and generic.

The plot is generic and highly predictable. The first trailer basically sums up the entire movie and if you've watched it before, you'll know how each event will play out.

The jokes are bland and not funny. I tried to force myself to laugh at at least one of them and I couldn't. Basically I kept looking at the clock counting how much time was left for the movie to end because of how uninteresting it is. I may not be the target audience, but the kids I know would struggle to stay awake watching it.

Basically I'm only giving it a 5 for the animation itself, which is good, but I wanted DreamWorks to keep the stylized 2D like in 'The Bad Guys' and 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'.

Very enjoyable Monday mystery movie!

[UniqueParticle · 8/10 · 20 June 2023]

I'm 30 and this made me feel like an innocent 8 year old nice for someone that has autism and tries really hard to be a good person/wholesome often. This was a wonderful family film that had me captivated throughout and would recommend to anyone! Very well made I'm sure this and Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse will be nominated next awards season. Ruby Gilman, Teenage Kraken was a wonderful choice for Monday mystery movie that I hope when it does release fully a lot of appreciate it with their families or by themself. The flow, colors, story, voices and mature lessons were all great I should try to do more of the surprise movies.

It's not that bad but not that good.

[jamesrasberry-61060 · 6/10 · 25 June 2023]

I think this movie is not considerably unfavorable. I think the animation looks great but everyone says the animation looks horrible and I don't blame them for having their opinion about it. But it's just another fish movie. That DreamWorks created which is Shark tale and Sinbad which those movies were horrible. I think they could have done a little bit better with the movie but I'm not really disappointed nor that I feel good about this film. It's similar to The Little mermaid remake but the mermaids are evil. I kind of wish that the movie did good but no it just seems to be alright but not good.

Dreamworks at it's Dullest

[chenp-54708 · 2/10 · 1 July 2023]

Despite the colorful animation and cute designs, it was honestly pretty boring.

Dreamworks Animation is a hit or miss for me as they have made some really fantastic movies in the past but also some pretty bad ones too. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is clearly aimed more for the younger demographic and there have been films I have enjoyed that are made in that category. However, this one really didn't do it for me.

The animation style and models are pretty good as they are colorful, beautiful and have some textures around them to provide the essence of sea life. Some of the dark underwater sequences have pretty good lighting, colors, and sound design throughout as it does add some decent atmosphere. The voice performances were okay. But that's pretty much it really.

The concept about squids, octopuses, and mermaids in the underwater kingdom living in a modern environment is pretty interesting but the narrative really doesn't take any full creativity with its concept as it feels really uninspired and bland for the most part. The characters really weren't interesting and the dialogue provided was clunky and sometimes cringeworthy.

The use of pop songs and its soundtrack was pretty annoying, the tone goes quite all over the place, and the humor is pretty inconsistent. The humorous jabs from Dreamworks at this point is starting to get a little repetitive.

Overall, it has good intentions but it never got to have a huge punch as it wanted too.

2/10.

Family movie with positive underlying message

[FilmFarter · 7/10 · 20 June 2023]

Great movie for kids - especially if yours are feeling pointed out for their differences. With the main character being a teenage kraken (that's something you don't write everyday) trying to hide her differences and fit in amongst humans, there is a solid lesson to point out to kids challenged with the same daily struggle. The movie teaches that kids feeling these differences can actually come to learn that these differences can be powerful super powers. Above and beyond the message is action and comedy which make it entertaining for the whole family. Not the best in Dreamworks' stable. But good enough to get 8/10 from me (and my 6-year-old daughter).

Good Underwater Family Film

[demonblade-37792 · 7/10 · 2 July 2023]

Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken (2023) is about a teenager named Ruby living as a human on dry land. She makes friends and fits in society pretty well. Until then that she goes underwater and finds out that she is a kraken as well with her kraken family. Her kraken mission is to stop mermaids from ruling the world. It is her goal to survive life as a teenage kraken and stop mermaids once and for all.

Overall, I thought Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken is a good family-friendly film! It has a good story of a teenager finding out what she is truly capable of because she is a hidden kraken. The cinematography is great with its animation and art style from Dreamworks. The voice acting is good that I did not know the mom was Toni Collette such as from Hereditary that she plays the mom Agatha in a good performance. Never would I have ever thought I would be seeing a kids movie in a long while, but the trailers got to me. The movie also has a hidden theme of growing up as a teenager as well. Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken is good with its animation, voice acting, and the story. I would recommend watching it in theaters for a good family-friendly watch!

Unoriginal

[warrenbarbary · 4/10 · 20 August 2023]

This movie & Turning Red is almost exactly the same.

Both has a female teenager shapeshifting into a creature with deep rooted mommy issues for 3 generations.

Both teenagers also has the same friends for some or other reason. 1 who's definitely a part of LGBTQIA+ community ( like it's a must )

Then we have all those generations coming together to defeat the enemy all while requiring no help from any male

The male casts are all crying simps having no value & I'm just not sure what agenda is being pused. It's unoriginal & boring.

Mulan & Moana for eg are excellent examples of female lead movies done right.

This is embarrassing!

Perfectly okay

[waynel-59765 · 6/10 · 5 July 2023]

I've always been a fan of Dreamworks thanks to the Shrek movies. But seeing Ruby Gillman was the first time seeing a Dreamworks movie in a theater. And overall, it's okay to T.

The story is basically the coming of age of 15 year old Ruby Gillman who is a kraken but has to keep that a secret. She wants to ask out her crush to prom but a mishap has her unlock her kraken powers which was what her mother so desperately tried to keep hidden from her. This is as far as I'll go as I don't want to spoil it.

It's an okay story, the prom aspect isn't very interesting but Ruby going on her journey of learning her abilities and growing into herself was nice. However the story never pushed itself beyond the standard cliches we've seen in stories like this, like embarrassing yourself and having everyone in school knowing about it, awkward and disastrous attempt at asking out a crush, annoying sibling, embarrassing parents who may be hiding a secret and et. None of this is bad mind you but it wasn't given any real twist or surprise, all very average and plain, which is rather a shame as the characters and the world had lots of potential. But I will say the twist for the villain got me by surprise so there's that at least.

Ruby Gillman her self is a very likable lead who's journey is quite complicated but again nothing that we haven't see before. Her friends are your typical dorky goofy and embarrassing friends you've seen in literally every teen themed comedy. Her parents are your typical embarrassing but loving parents. Her brother is your typical annoying pest. While none of the characters are bad, they're just average. You've seen them before and this movie never goes beyond their typical cliches and tropes.

What isn't average however is the animation. I haven't watched any recent Dreamworks movie within the last few years and I'm happy to say the animation in this movie is the BIG highlight. When Ruby transforms into her true form underwater and glows and uses her powers it's very bright, colorful and flashy. Ruby, her family and the other kraken in the movie are all well designed and endearing. The non-kraken characters such as her friends and the background characters are more of a mixed bag. Some of them look okay while others look a bit strange to be honest. For example Ruby's friend Trevin, his head is too small for his rather large body, while on the other hand Chelsea was designed to be totally beautiful and they succeeded with flying colors.

The town the movie takes place looks cool, clearly they had a lot of fun designing everything though I will say that it does give the film a very babyish look, which was the intention I presume as this movie feels like kids are it's main audience. The underwater scenes were done very well as when Ruby first goes in there they perfectly show how deep and freaky the ocean gets the more deeper you get, but once Ruby turns giant it becomes much more inviting. So besides some of the weird characters designs the animation as a whole shows that Dreamwroks has not lost their touch and like Pixar and Disney are only getting better with their animation quality.

So overall this is just okay. I didn't regret watching it, I didn't hate it nor did I really like it. It was just okay, perfectly okay. The characters were reasonably likable, the script was fine the animation was great, and overall it was one of those movies that I couldn't really find anything to hate. It seems to me that Dreamworks is mostly focusing on the little kids these days with the Trolls and The Boss Baby movies which is why the fell off the radar for me. And while I liked Ruby Gillman I will admit I did count the minutes at times as I just didn't find the conflict or characters all that compelling. It was all likable, but it was all been there done that, nothing I haven't seen before and I was disappointed they didn't aspire to make this movie anything more but just okay. I definitely see kids especially little girls liking this movie and Ruby will no doubt have a fan following, I just hope that if they decide to bring her back if this movie does well, that they give her a more compelling story to tell as what's here doesn't really make her stand out.

And that's a shame.

Conveyer-belt family entertainment.

[benjaminskylerhill · 5/10 · 30 June 2023]

Dreamworks has created the b*stard child of Pixar's Luca and Turning Red. And it falls somewhere in the middle of those two film's quality.

It mercifully has far less annoying characters than Turning Red, and handles its near-identical adolescent themes of family loyalty, self-actualisation, and trust with far more tact and nuance than that film did.

But it borrows the other half of its concept and plot from Luca, and it lacks the genuine heart and soul that was the one saving grace of that film.

There's a lot to like about the implausibly gonzo concept and over the top elements and characters. But the generic, conveyor-belt-produced story is hard to look past, as there really is not a single aspect of what I just saw that has any staying power. I'll forget this quickly.

Visually colorful and with good protagonists, but it is unfortunately a mediocre parody

[Elvis-Del-Valle · 6/10 · 3 July 2023]

When this movie was announced, something was expected to crush The Little Mermaid (2023), but the result is actually not what was expected. It was already easy to deduce that this would be a simple film, but Chelsea's design made audiences and DreamWorks alike cry victory too soon. In the end, the audience is the one that was wrong to place high hopes in this film. The acceptance of the public was good in part, but the box office rightly says otherwise. This is a movie that tries to use the formula of Shrek spoofing The Little Mermaid, but watching the movie and looking at the script, it's clear that they made it by focusing solely on competing with Disney rather than on making a great-caliber movie. The animation and visual quality of the movie are good with a rather striking colorful look. The character design is mostly questionable. Ruby and Chelsea are the only ones who steal much of the movie and have quite a bit of personality, although like the other characters, they lack further development. Ruby's parents do little and only her mother and grandmother show a little interest. Ruby's friends and love interest are nothing more than filler characters. The jokes are mostly forced, as is the comedy, resulting in few laughs. The concept of the film shows some potential to be a Shrek-style parody, but it's not fully exploited, as it feels like it still had more to offer. Introducing a mermaid as an antagonist is a return to the dark background of mermaid mythology, as mermaids were initially not friendly beings. Turning the Krakens into friendly beings is a twist that gives the film a certain freshness. Even though Ruby has a decent design, it is unlikely that her normal appearance is her human appearance and that no one would suspect that she is a Kraken. That generates a kind of contradictory conflict with the atmosphere of the film. The plot is simple and even predictable, mostly with its plot being in the style of a teen movie. It has some good sequences like the final battle, but it feels like there were still more scenes to incorporate and more development to add. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is somewhat entertaining to enjoy in family, but it is a very simple and forgettable movie. That makes everyone who godified this movie, without seeing it first and using it to make fun of Disney, nothing more than brainless naives who just wasted their time acting like children. The reality is that this movie did not deserve to be a success because it is inferior to The Little Mermaid (2023) and anyone who says otherwise lacks true cinematographic knowledge. My final rating for this movie is 6/10.

Dissapointed in DreamWorks

[aliedawnwood · 5/10 · 11 July 2023]

Didn't expect such a mediocre and bland movie.

For a movie that puts emphasis on the ocean, it sure created a bland environment. Character designs are fine, but nothing particularly fun. The voice acting doesn't feel right. Lines that should've been amusing fell flat. The casting feels a bit misguided. It uses the 'parent lies to you and no one communicates' trope in such a drab seen before way. The action scenes are incredibly boring; you have krakens and mermaid the fight should be epic but they're just slightly moving towards each other. It's a shame because you can tell the animators know how water affects movement, but it isn't utilized to make action scenes look good.

Noice movie

[jameslankturn · 8/10 · 20 June 2023]

Overall a really good plot and just a fun movie to watch as a teenager. Characters are well written, animation and lighting effects were great. I personally watched this film with my family and they all enjoyed it. Especially Ruby, a really adorable character but also showed some character development throughout the movie. I would watch this movie again and again for my enjoyment as it does not being any signs of boredom, the music is also really well produced and big job well done to the musicians and story writers. Arguably following on the resurgence of dreamworks movies following puss in boots and the bad guys.

Luca meets Turning Red

[davidpeirce-17590 · 3/10 · 20 June 2023]

My four year old was bored within the first ten minutes of the film, and I couldn't blame him. The story was so-so with predictable plot lines, few memorable humorous moments, and an over color scheme that felt much too dark for a kids movie. While the characters are fun and the premise is decent (think the characters of Luca meets the family struggles of Turning Red), the film just lacked much connection to anything happening in the story. With the exception of one scene between the main character and her mother, the lackluster family dynamic was simply unbelievable. It's not a bad film, just not one worth seeing in theaters at the moment.

Take a Kraken At This One When You Have Time For Fun

[rgkarim · 7/10 · 1 July 2023]

LIKES:

Animation Is Fluid

• Cute and fun design that may not be the most realistic, but is cute and very in line with the movie's theme

-Very popping colors that enhance shading and make for some very deep profiles and design -Animation moves swimmingly, fluid strokes, cartoon and anatomy mixing that match the mythological movements.

-Very quirky and colorful throughout giving you a few worlds within one world.

The Pace: -Fun and perfect for a kid's attention span, the movie is fast and working quickly to tell the tale.

-It keeps elements in time with the feel of the movie, doesn't get too bogged down in adventures and keeps to high school features -And gets it done in a 90 minute time span to again do well with those that don't want massive time requirements.

-Very engaging for a young adult coming of age story in the modern generation.

The Music: -Small victory for most, the music adds a pop music theme in most aspects to get toes tapping -The energy gets revved up with it and during the montage really does a lot for being in the background -The ending really works with a song I like, though oddly fits, and adds that finish that this series needs for an opener.

The Voice Acting: -Fonda is fine in her role, playing pretty much the same high collar she does with that sass that she delivers.

-Condor is great in her role, so many emotions of a teenager coming of age that sells the teenage feel and gives a relatable character that I enjoyed in this odd experience.

-Toni Collette surprised me with her lighthearted comedy as concerned parent and giving some pop vibes from her usual low energy role.

-The rest do well, a chemistry establishing an ecosystem that is fun, and surprisingly deep in this seaside community with odd shaped characters.

Surprisingly Deep: -Emotions run high in the world, and many find a heavy-handed emotional tale gold.

-Gillman's story is actually deeper than I anticipated, with morals that work well and teach some good lessons from both sides.

-The potential agenda stuff is not too much, and the story goes well with it to teach, but not bore, leading to a good tale that is again fun and engaging.

-And that led to better characters from one angle at least that was really fun to experience.

Fun Overall: -The movie is very lighthearted and just a good time, a real escape from most problems of reality -The movie knows how to have fun and add a little adventure to the mix that was just a good use of time to escape the darkness -Dialogue is corny, but not too bad for some parts. The morals help shine some good levels to balance out the tropes and teenage dialogue. And the comedy is okay to be quirky, but not the worst in annoyance either.

DISLIKES:

Comedy Gets A Bit Old -It's meant for younger groups, kids, and so you have a lot of childish antics and meme worth faces/quotes to get stuck on.

-The comedy is a bit old and without having the timing and deeper levels, it was lost on me a bit not being into the TikTok like features -Uncle Brill was a fun character, and though had some better moments, his humor was hit or miss for me, alongside several other forced jokes.

The Climactic Action Was Bland: -A fight that pulls a lot of punches, this watered down fight was "exciting" when it came to the age group it was intended.

-It lasted 6 minutes at most, quick compared to the buildup, with again very few stakes or even choreography to be honest.

-The blowhard conversation felt like old DBZ, and despite the monologue, the movie just did nothing with the fight scenes to warrant the need in my opinion.

-It at least maintained the style with it. A win in my book.

The Movie Moves Too Fast?

-The movie has a good pace for the primary audience, but for others like me, might be too fast -The character development is deep, but so quick it loses something for me, and the obstacles are shaved away by the time to fantasy levels.

-It leads to lackluster plot elements, little stakes, and again this quick reward for little work that did nothing to give me the engaging tales other animated hits have done.

-More time could have solved this. Added dimensions to the movie like character inclusion, obstacles or a puzzle to uncover the truth, and maybe some more engaging history that was not so she said-she said.

-Another example of condensing a story and cutting too much to meet attention spans.

Too Limited an Audience?

-It hits the target audience well, a real plus in my eyes for delivering what the trailers promised.

-But the focus on that audience might just be bad for the chaperones and boring, the trivial thin development not as engaging as you might hope.

-Thus, that limited scope is a bit of a killer and took away from the movie, leading to wanting more from the potential the movie had to offer.

THE VERDICT: Ruby Kraken's first venture was not that bad for me and on many levels better than the trailer made it out to be. A coming of age movie with fun animation, a style that's not the most stunning, realistic, or mind blowing. However, the unique style works for the theme of the movie, and engages in building a very fun and energetic world that I enjoyed watching. It's got a decent story theme for coming of age, with promising characters that are brought to life by good voice acting and the pace will keep many entertained for the focus of the target audience. And to have sch a fun character that is enjoyable and holds relevant characteristics to many, you can't quite beat that. Yet, the movie is a bit simplified to what it could have been and needs some balance to help make the movie reach the full potential I think the envisioned. The extreme kid antics and the coming of age drama is a bit much at times, and the character balance is lackluster with some agenda lining topics, but the movie really struggles to add excitement feeling like a middle school read. It's not horrible, just limited and mundane, which more time and training could have done very well like How To Train Your Dragon did long ago. Thus, the movie is a fun afternoon out with the family or a field trip, but most likely will be better suited for watching at home than anything else. My scores for the film are:

Animation/Action/Adventure: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0.

"Guys, I'm talking fondue"

[daisukereds · 6/10 · 20 July 2023]

Structurally, I can see some similarities and aspects found in the story of the "Little Mermaid" were (probably) used as inspiration. From similar family tension, to a prominent set piece and even an important object being. But the focus is completely different, it's also more modern (and all that entails, like ASMR) and plenty of energy and fluidness to the animation (which is one of my favorite things to come out of modern CGI movies)! DreamWorks offers nothing but quality in that department. But when it comes to storytelling, it reminds plenty of "Turning Red" and even some parts of Spider-Man's Homecoming.

In short, it does feel simple and predictable.. and some might even say generic. Thankfully it's around 1 hour and 20 minutes and the pacing is rather swift, so you barely feel it (which can be a good or a bad thing). Still, I quite liked the characters (being very distinctive, charming and likeable), as well as seeing them turn a "trope" on its head.

It certainly warrants a view if not for the Animation alone! Even if it doesn't wow with everything else, like the last Puss in Boots did.. it's also not as memorable or lasting (one viewing is probably enough). And while it breaks my heart to have seen it do so poorly on the box-office returns, I can see why. Hopefully it will do better digitally.

A film even Annie Murphy can't save

[bm230199 · 5/10 · 30 June 2023]

This was one of those films which just lacked any personality and was unlucky. It had all the correct elements. Interesting concept, nice animiation, good voiceactors but it never really hit. The story just felt very 2 dimensional and I think many of the characters and dialogue just seemed to fill the time instead of actually being important. It felt similar to Disney's Turning Red but not done as well. The friends were way too cheesy and didn't get the good balance Turning Red had between silly but sweet. Similarly apart from her mum, the main characters family members were largely redundant and didn't bring anything. The only character I really enjoyed was Annie Murphy's character because she was so lively and injected a breath of fresh air into the film...which they then ruined by turning her evil and having the "mermaids are bad krakens good" seperation return. Not the worst film I've seen this year but I'm glad I didn't pay for my cinema ticket myself.