The Sea Beast
In Netflix’s Oscar-nominated ‘toon, a starry-eyed orphan escapes to the high seas to do battle with the monsters of the deep – and the fears of our imagination.
Monsters Inc.: the fearless Maisie Brumble and Jacob Holland
You have to hand it to the Oscars: the Academy can shed light on a noteworthy film that the public, even the critical fraternity, had overlooked earlier in the year. A case in point is the number of titles that slipped onto streaming platforms with little accompanying buzz, such as Lila Neugebauer’s Causeway, with a heartfelt turn from the now-nominated Brian Tyree Henry, and last year’s best picture winner CODA, both available on Apple TV+. Contrarywise, the cartoon The Sea Beast registered 165 million online hours of viewer attention, becoming the most successful animated Netflix feature to date. However, it completely passed me by and following its Oscar nomination, I now review it for the record.
A total original, The Sea Beast is adapted by Chris Williams from his own story and draws on familiar myths with a modern twist. Williams, who previously directed the visually inventive and hugely entertaining Big Hero 6, expands his canvas here and presents a rollicking yarn that pretty much has something for everyone. If the ingredients feel pre-packaged, the delivery is sublime and the resultant dish both stirring and powerful.
Our heroine is Maisie Brumble, a plucky young thing who regales her fellow orphans with tales of derring-do on the high seas. Both her parents were monster hunters, and paid for their heroism with their lives, and now, within the leather-bound covers of her favourite book, she follows the exploits of the tireless Captain Crow and his dashing, brawny second, Jacob. And Maisie is a gifted storyteller, to which the expectant faces of her rapt young listeners attest.
When Crow and Jacob’s ship the Inevitable docks in the local port – following a ferocious battle with a sea monster four times its own size – Maisie stows away on board. Jacob is none too pleased when, back at sea, he finds her hiding in a barrel, but Captain Crow takes a liking to the girl and allows her to stay on board. Then, that night, the ship spots the enormous Red Bluster and attacks it with dynamite, hooking the colossal sea beast with cables. Crow’s intention is to tire the creature out and then claim its death as his greatest victory. But the Red Bluster has plans of its own…
The Sea Beast is a superlative example of its art for many reasons. The photo-realistic backgrounds bring real heft to the action, with the sparkle of the sea water, the grain of the ship’s beams and the dull density of the ironware endowing the film with a material immediacy. Mark Mancina’s score is a rousing thing as well, as is Richard King’s immersive sound design. But this is just the glitter on the gold, as it is the story and the characters that pull the viewer in. There’s nothing like a feisty young heroine to win the hearts of youthful viewers, or, indeed, the lantern-jawed tenacity of a hunk like Jacob. And while the film mines the excitement of such sea-faring yarns as Moby Dick and Jaws, its social agenda is more profound. Is this a war between man and his fellow creatures – and, if so, who started it?
The monster hunters trawl the waves to make the seas safe, but merely provoke the marine life on which they depend. When Maisie starts to exhibit a deeper understanding of the monsters of the deep, Jacob scorns her interest with a dismissive, “we kill ‘em, lass, we don’t study ‘em.” And when Maisie argues to the powers-that-be that, “your kingdom was paid for by their blood,” the parallels with the toll of colonialism is clear. And yet, to Williams’ credit, he never over-eggs the message. He even throws in the odd allusion to movies past. When Maisie attempts to adopt a small blue creature as a pet, Jacob warns her that, “pets will lay eggs in your mouth that hatch and burst out through your chest cavity.” To which she responds: “That is so specific.”
The Sea Beast is the type of entertainment that should appeal to the young and old, to the cynical and sentimental, and to sea dogs and landlubbers alike. It really is a treat. And it’s still available on Netflix.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Voices of Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Jim Carter, Doon Mackichan, Kathy Burke, Helen Sadler, Dan Stevens.
Dir Chris Williams, Pro Jed Schlanger and Chris Williams, Screenplay Chris Williams and Nell Benjamin, from a story by Chris Williams, Pro Des Matthias Lechner, Ed Joyce Arrastia, Music Mark Mancina, Costumes Michele Clapton, Sound Richard King.
Netflix Animation-Netflix.
114 mins. USA. 2022. UK and US Rel: 24 June 2022. Cert. PG.
