Nezha

I watched Nezha on Netflix because of the hype surrounding the second movie; being the highest grossing animated film of all time is a big deal. But oh boy, was this movie a wild ride. Watching it was a culture shock, because I am not used to an animated kids movie doing anything remotely close to what Nezha did.

First of all, I personally despise potty humor and am glad most kids movies have veered away from it. Unfortunately, Nezha was filled with it. But despite me not liking some of the jokes, the movie managed to be hysterical. Nezha’s antics had me snorting up the tea I was drinking.

And then the animation. Every single one of Nezha’s facial expressions were so well done; I’ve never seen so much feeling conveyed through someone’s animated face, ever. But in some other scenes, the smaller budget definitely showed. The animations were a bit cheap looking when compared to the biggest productions in the US. But honestly, that made the movie even funnier. 

The tone is probably the most confusing part about the movie, and this is where the culture shock comes in. You wouldn’t expect western kids movies to handle darker subject matter, but dark subject matter is basically the plot of Nezha. This kid is destined to die after his third birthday. It’s so unbelievably sad seeing him struggle to make friends, especially when that is his fate. And the destruction he causes as a result of this angst? I found it more shocking than funny seeing him blow up houses and stuff; most western movies would portray it in a cartoonish and comical manner, but Nezha didn’t, leaving me confused. 

But the dark tone was also a huge strength for the movie. It made all the emotional scenes so much more impactful and real. The final battle was especially elevated because of the magnitude of the stakes. 

This was a pretty good movie, and I am super hyped for the second! 7/10 for me.