Summary:
Migo (Channing Tatum) gets banished from his village high in the Himalayan Mountains when he claims to have seen the fabled smallfoot. It’s not so much what he’s claiming, but the fact that he’s going against the Stones, which is where the village keeps all its rules and laws.
Setup:
Essentially, this village of yetis seems to do meaningless tasks every day. The Stones have become venerated as absolute truth and challenging them is unheard of. Until it happens. At the prompting of some friends/fellow outcasts, Migo sets out to prove there are smallfoots in the world, so he can be accepted back home.
He finds one and takes him back, causing quite the uproar. The village elder (Stonekeeper; Common) gives him a talking to that changes everything for him. He basically lets the kid in on the secret that yes, smallfoot exist, but they’re dangerous. The Stones are lies meant to protect the villagers from the truth so they won’t explore, question, and be killed by the vicious savages.
In the end, Percy (the smallfoot; James Corden) gets what he wants—fame—but sacrifices it for the sake of saving the yetis’ secret existence. The yeti decide that living in fear isn’t the way, so they reach out to the humans. There’s a standoff, but after a tense moment, the friendship forged along the way helps bridge the gap. Presumably they live happily ever after.
Additional Comments:
– As a science teacher I noticed there are quite a few clips in here you could use in a class. It raises a lot of great questions about asking questions and daring to explore even though the masses are against you.
– The humor relies heavily upon slapstick type throughout the film, but there are a few things worth laughing aloud. The miscommunications from the language barrier are hilarious.
– Story: Percy basically gets everything he wants but then sacrifices it for the sake of the truth. Things work out, but there’s definitely that classic “hero going down” moment right before things shift from “aww” to “oh, yay.”
– Favorite part: The Stonekeeper’s chat with Migo.
– It’s definitely a modern movie shouting the party lines of Hollywood. Question everything. Reach out and accept others.
– Maybe I should give the songs a second chance, but I still think they sacrificed appeal and repeatability for lyrics that fit the moment. There’s no “Let it Go” equivalent in here that has both message and story application.
Conclusion:
It started off fluffy, but once past the midpoint, the story turned deeper and got significantly better. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was a perfect movie, but the fact that it ends strong is good all around.
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Spirit’s Bane: Two guardian angels get on Satan’s bad side.
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