Review: Tough questions in animated kaiju adventure ‘The Sea Beast’

With “The Sea Beast,” Netflix throws its harpoon at a 2023 Oscar nomination for animated feature.

While the film’s dialogue and characters aren’t exactly unique, its visuals are remarkable and it’s actually about something. It’s a ripping yarn, a gorgeously rendered kaiju adventure on the high seas that uses fantasy to ask pertinent questions about the stories we believe, and who benefits from that belief.

Viewers are plunged in the deep end with an immersive opening sequence depicting the aftermath of a ship’s destruction. We’re in a world of wooden vessels at war with monsters; an oceanside kingdom has been sustained largely by a class of “hunters” whose job it is to rid the sea lanes of these giant creatures.

This is followed by a clunky bit of exposition introducing Maisie (voiced by Zaris-Angel Hator), a young orphan who idolizes hunters, endlessly reads about them, and can’t wait to become one. We know where that’s going. We meet Jacob (voiced by Karl Urban), saved from a sea monster attack as a child and now a Strapping Young Man and mighty hunter himself. Jacob has been raised by the greatest of the hunters, Captain Crow (Jared Harris) and his trusty first mate, Sarah Sharpe (Marianne Jean-Baptiste); he’s now in line for the captaincy of their ship, the Inevitable. Until then, Crow’s their captain, a hab-itual stalker of the most storied of the behemoths: His personal white whale is called “The Red Bluster.”

“Brickleback and the Inevitable” is not an alternative rock band, but a fair description of the monster and the ship, respectively, engaged in combat in this scene from Netflix’s animated feature “The Sea Beast.”

(Netflix)

Jacob and Maisie’s paths will cross and the two will face the most fearsome creatures the sea has to offer, gathering important truths along the way.

“Sea Beast” succeeds handily as a monster-fighting adventure with exciting battle scenes — it’s less “Master and Commander” than giant monster movie, à la Godzilla), with titanic creatures doing their thing and humans learning lessons in their devastating wake.

Those humans, unfortunately, tend not to be particularly memorable. Jacob, for instance, isn’t as charming or, ahem, animated as virtually any live-action performance by Urban (lately of “The Boys” and “Thor: Ragnarok”).

Not all monsters are scary — Maisie (voiced by Zaris-Angel Hator) makes a friend in “The Sea Beast.”

(Netflix)

However, the monsters are marvelously crafted. Those meant to be menacing are. Those meant to be cute very much are. Somehow, the limited facial expressions afforded them speak volumes. Viewers will remember the two primary “beasts,” certainly and will probably be wowed by the savage leviathan attacks.

Co-written (with Nell Benjamin) and directed by Chris Williams (“Moana,” “Big Hero 6”), what “The Sea Beast” lacks in sparkling dialogue or hilarity on the high seas is more than made up for by its beautiful, detailed textures and rich cinematography. There are shots with epic sweep and downtime moments that are casually ornate. Lighting and color effectively create atmosphere. The underwater sequences are arresting. It’s the kind of achievement likely to be remembered at awards time.

Driving it all is a lesson not typically among the offerings from major-studio animation’s Big Bag of Morals. While some may dismiss it, the film’s fathoms are deeper, diving for something interesting to share with kids (or entrenched adults): What are the roots of traditional hatreds? Are they, and their violent consequences, “inevitable”? It nudges viewers to reconsider beliefs based on stories rather than experiences and logic. Who tells these stories? What is their agenda?

While “The Sea Beast” makes its mark with action, creatures and feats of extraordinary animation, it leaves viewers with a nagging thought: “Maybe you can be a hero and still be wrong.”