UrbanWireMovie Review: Home
Adapted from Adam Rex’s 2007 children’s book
“The True Meaning of Smekday”, Home tells a heartwarming story about fitting in and our innate need to belong.
A cheerful alien race called the Boov, led by Captain Smek (Steve Martin), relocates to Earth to hide from their mortal enemy, the terrifying Gorg. Convinced that they are doing humans a huge favour, the Boov move every human to “a Desert Planet”. However, plucky teenage girl Gratuity Tucci (Rihanna) aka Tip avoids being captured by the Boov and sets off on a mission to look for her mother, Lucy (Jennifer Lopez), whom she lost during the relocation. She unwittingly befriends a klutzy Boov named Oh (Jim Parsons), who accidentally sends everyone in the galaxy – including the scary Gorg – his whereabouts, endangering every alien and person.
The film starts off showing Oh as a misfit among his species, who all follow their eccentric leader, Smek. The Boov are known to be “the best species at running away” which has been especially useful in their ongoing battle with the Gorg. Rather than showing the stereotypical scary aliens that we only see in nightmares, Home integrates these cute aliens into the plot in the most kawaii way possible. Every Boov is naturally purple but they change colour in accordance to their emotions – Oh turns green when he tells a fib – which makes it fun for the audience to figure out the Boovs’ feelings.
The setting of the movie has air bubbles and flying cars as transport, colourful slushies to fuel Tip and Oh’s ride and witty one-liners. There are even comical remakes of scenic landmarks in the movie, such as the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. Home’s silliness and humour will definitely draw in the kids.
Although the animation in this film is attractive and Home is a different take on the usual alien invasion flicks, the movie didn’t capture our hearts as much as we hoped it would. The story zooms by so quickly that you’ll only catch the gist of it. The only things you can focus on are the emotions of characters, and the development of camaraderie between Tip and Oh.
The Boovs don’t speak perfect Queen’s English, but their attempt at it is entertaining. “Can I come into the out now?” pleads Oh when he gets locked in a fridge by Tip on their first encounter. The whimsical dialogue makes it less boring, so kudos to that. We also love the fact that Tip is portrayed as a girl from Barbados “with beautiful brown skin”, as Tip’s mother described her, instead of yet another white chick. Yay for racial diversity.
What shines through for us, besides the amusing dialogue, is the head-bobbing soundtrack that includes originals from Rihanna and J.Lo themselves. Home has a predictable plot with a happy ending – Oh finally learns to fit in, of course – that’ll entice a younger audience rather than the youth. Still, if and your pals are looking for some harmless and silly fun, Home will do nicely.
[xrr rating=3/5 display_as=textstars label=”Our Rating:”]
Written by: Kylie Goh
Information
Release Date: Mar 27
Runtime: 94 minutes
Language: English
Censorship Rating: PG for mild action
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Fantasy, Family
Director: Tim Johnson
Main Actors: Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Steve Martin