Abby (Ariel Donoghue/Ilsa Fogg/Mia Wasikowska) has been passionate about marine biology nearly her entire life–and as a child she befriended a large grouper that she calls Blueback. While Blueback has always remained a secret to most, the ocean is becoming a dangerous place for the creatures that live there–including Blueback. Abby is now tasked with ensuring the safety of her nautical friend and the rest of the sea creatures before it’s too late.
First and foremost, the stunning aesthetic of Blueback will likely be what draws viewers to this film. The gorgeous landscapes will captivate viewers, and they will give viewers a reason to stick around–and the stunning underwater seascapes are some of the most incredible things that I’ve seen in any film. Each and every instance throughout the course of Blueback that includes water, whether on the beach or physically in the ocean, is nothing short of perfect. The physical beauty is the shining star of the entire film, and it’s likely the only thing that will appeal to viewers.
The aesthetic is the one thing that works for Blueback–just about everything else is underwhelming. I struggled throughout the entirety of the film to remain focused, to even care about the things occurring. Everything else is pointless, unappealing, and far from what needed to be done in order for the film to find success.
Abby is boring. She’s not boring because any of the actors playing her are incapable of conveying emotion, but rather because she’s a poorly written character. There’s nothing appealing about her, and while I believe it’s intended that she has conviction, it never really rises to the surface. She sort of exists to help manipulate this story and to drive it forward–but in reality she simply exists. This is true of every single character in Blueback–as they all fall flat, none of them being able to appeal to viewers.
The story never develops into anything worth caring about. It moves along at a snail’s pace, uninspired, and nearly impossible to remain focused on. I never felt connected to the story in any way–and as Blueback moved forward it fell further and further from grace. The story is cumbersome, frustrating, and far from what it needed to be in order to appeal to viewers. It never shifts in the right direction, it never does anything but remain on the same boring trajectory throughout.
Blueback is one of the more painfully boring things that I’ve seen in some time–and its inability to make any connections between either the story or characters and its viewers drowns it in failure. With a series of actors that are more than capable of conveying emotion or driving a well-written story home, there’s no excuse not to provide them the resources (acceptable characters) to find success. There are so many issues present throughout the course of Blueback, and the film never finds its footing. The film is all but guaranteed to be forgotten in the next couple of years–and I can’t say I’d blame anyone for wanting to forget about it.
Directed by Robert Connolly.
Written by Robert Connolly & Tim Winton.
Starring Mia Wasikowska, Albert Mwangi, Ariel Donoghue, Radha Mitchell, Clearance Ryan, Eric Bana, Ilsa Fogg, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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