Double Review: Onward & The Way Back

Two paths to take. Which should you choose? To go Onward with Pixar or The Way Back with Ben Aflleck? One is a fantasy adventure of two brothers bonding together on a road trip and the other is sports drama about a man given a second chance in life. 

Set in fantasy world where magic is obsolete and magical creatures like elves, cyclops, and centaurs get by in life with cars, phones and other modernizations, sixteen-year old elf Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland) is given a magic staff for his birthday. Said staff belonged to his late father and comes with an incantation that will revive him for twenty-four hours, much to the joy of both Ian and his older brother Barley (Chris Pratt). But when the spell goes wrong, and brings only the lower half of their father, the brothers go on a quest to to bring the rest of their dad before the spell breaks.

Onward comes from director Dan Scanlon (who also co-wrote the script), whose loss of his own father served as the inspiration for this film. Like his previous film Monsters University, the movie starts on a conventional level but by the third act goes in a different direction and display's that Pixar spark. The heart of the film being the brotherly bond between Barley and Ian, polar opposites but whole together. Ian being insecure and shy but possessing the ability to wield the staff and Barley being the loud and proud nerd in role-playing who teaches Ian how to use the staff. While he loves his brother, Ian does get tired of Barley's goofy antics and isn't ecstatic with the journey. They go through obstacles that test them and reveal much about each other. The adventure not only brings the brothers closer but with their father as well. You know your movie good is when audience is able to care for a pair of legs.

Holland and Pratt work well off each other, as well as the rest of the cast from Julia Louis-Dreyfus (in her second Pixar film) as Ian and Barley's mother Laurel, Octavia Spencer as the Manticore who gives directions on Ian and Barley's quest, and Mel Rodriguez as Colt Bronco a centaur cop dating Laurel. Quick shout-out to voice actress legend Grey DeLise who voices the Pixie gang who run into the Lightfoot brothers.

Onward is an enjoyable ride with the structure of Finding Nemo, the atmosphere of Zootopia and the magic of Harry Potter.  I giveth this tale a thumbs-up.

P.S. Toy Story 4 was the first Pixar film not to have a preceding short. Onward revives the trend with a Simpsons short? Odd choice but with The Simpsons now a Disney brand I guess it was bound to happen.

Final Verdict: A-

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From Gavin O'Connor the director of Miracle and Warrior, The Way Back stars Ben Affleck as Jack Cunningham, an alcoholic construction worker going nowhere but down. His place is full of beer cans and bottles that he even showers with a drink. His nightly trips to the bar aren't any better, especially when he's always escorted home. A chance to climb back up arrives when he is offered a job to coach basketball at his old high school who haven't had a good year since he played. After a few outbursts and rocky relationship with some of the players, Jack works on regaining his footing both on and off the court.

Like Onward you think you know where this film is going, it starts as a your typical sports drama of the underdog like Glory Road while at the same time being an addict recovery story like Hoosiers but once the movie reaches the third act, it goes in a completely different direction that I didn't see coming. It's a brave choice that not many films take and I can understand if it dampers the mood of some people; the crowd I went with weren't happy by the time the credits rolled. Don't go in expecting it to be like any other feel-good sports movie, there are basketball matches but like Ron Howard's Rush it skims through most of them and skips to the final score. Focusing more on the characters than the game especially with Jack, a damaged individual on the brink of a breakdown. It's a sad and somber watch that only Affleck could pull off given the actor's own personal struggles in recent years. His performance feels like a form of penance, not just for Jack but for Affleck in getting over their vices, confronting their personal demons, opening up with their family and taking those small steps to recovery.

The few games we do witness are well shot like a real sporting event and while we don't get to know all the players, the few we meet are able to leave a good impression. Being set in a Catholic high school, two priests play a small roles in the story and have their fair share of screen-time. One in a humorous exchange concerning Affleck's foul language and another when the film hits it's most dramatic moment. And I thought the Horror genre gave Catholic Priests more to do.

The Way Back is a solemn sports story that isn't afraid to show the struggle and consequences of addiction amidst its basketball background. 

Final Verdict: B+