Follows Ember and Wade, in a city where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together.
Chuck says:
Without question, Peter Sohn’s “Elemental” couldn’t be more timely, its message one that should be shouted from the rooftops. I just wish the way in which it was delivered was a bit more compelling. Reminiscent of “Zootopia” in more ways than one, the visual style of the film is less distinct than the studio’s other features while the characters themselves simply aren’t as engaging or even likable. Be that as it may, young viewers will be engaged with the broad humor, though the adults dragged to the theaters with them will likely be more engaged with their phones.
The film gets off to a poignant and promising start, as a family of fire beings emigrate to Element City, a vast metropolis populated by beings made of air, water, and earth. While these three “species” can live in harmony, the addition of new spark-based inhabitants spells trouble. Ernie and Cinder (Ronnie Del Carmen and Shila Omni) simply want to build a better life for their daughter Ember (Leah Lewis) and they take steps towards this by opening a neighborhood bodega specializing in spicy foods and all things pyrotechnic. However, one day a pipe bursts in the basement of the store, Ember meets Wade (Mamoudou Athie), a water being, and despite some obvious problems, they find themselves attracted to one another.
Yep, it’s a rom-com and not a particularly charming one at that. As the couple gets to know each other, there are obvious gags, as when they get too close, he starts to boil or she starts to flicker (insert your own subtext or metaphor here), while meetings with their respective families are predictably awkward. More problematic is that there is little in the way of chemistry between Ember and Wade, which seems an odd thing to say about animated characters. Still, if you’re going to venture into rom-com territory you need to toe the line where conventions are concerned, and I just didn’t see them as a couple. Frankly, Wade is rendered as not nearly as smart or charismatic as Ember, and I’m pretty sure after two or three months, she’d probably move on to a hunky lump of coal.
And while the social commentary – hey, we need to get past our obvious differences, recognize our commonalities and get along – has been covered ad nauseum, the state our country is in proves it needs to be said once again. Though it lacks the punch of “Zootopia,” which delivered the same theme far more powerfully, this film will likely be more suited to younger viewers to get this message across. It isn’t that “Elemental” is necessarily bad, it simply lacks a spark.
2 1/2 Stars
