Roger Ebert started his review by saying, “The animals
do not speak in "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," and I think
that's important to the film's success. It elevates the story from a children's
fantasy to one wider audiences can enjoy, because although the stallion's
adventures are admittedly pumped-up melodrama, the hero is nevertheless a horse
and not a human with four legs. There is a whole level of cuteness that the
movie avoids, and a kind of narrative strength it gains in the process.”
The DreamWorks film tells the story of Spirit, a wild
mustang stallion, who runs free on a vast Western plain before he journeys into
the land of man and is captured by U.S. Cavalry troops. They think they can break
him. They are wrong, even though the strict colonel, voiced by James Cromwell,
makes the stallion into a personal fascination.
Ebert said, “Spirit does not want to be broken, shod
or inducted into the Army, and his salvation comes through Little Creek (voice
of Daniel Studi), an Indian brave who helps him escape and rides him to
freedom. The pursuit by the cavalry is one of several sequences in the film
where animation frees chase scenes to run wild, as Spirit and his would-be
captors careen down canyons and through towering rock walls, dock under
obstacles and end up in a river.”
Ebert continued, “Watching the film, I was reminded of
Jack London's classic novel White Fang, so unfairly categorized as a children's
story even though the book (and the excellent 1991 film) used the dog as a
character in a parable for adults. White Fang and Spirit represent hold-outs
against the taming of the frontier; invaders want to possess them, but they do
not see themselves as property.”
Ebert went on, “All of which philosophy will no doubt
come as news to the cheering kids I saw the movie with, who enjoyed it, I'm
sure, on its most basic level, as a big, bold, colorful adventure about a
wide-eyed horse with a stubborn streak.” However, Spirit not talking (except
for some small thoughts that we overhear from Matt Damon) doesn’t mean he doesn’t
communicate, and the animators put great attention to body language and facial
expressions in scenes where Spirit is scared of a blacksmith, in love with a
mare, and the partner of the Indian (whom he accepts after a long battle of
wills).
There is also a scene of perfect silent communication
between Spirit and a small Indian child who bravely goes up to Spirit at a time
when he feels little but alarm about humans. The two beings, one giant, one
small, hesitantly reach out to each other, and the child’s complete trust is
somehow communicated to the horse. Ebert admitted, “I remembered the great
scene in "The Black Stallion" (1979) where the boy and the horse edge
together from the far sides of the wide screen.”
Since there is not a lot of dialogue, the songs by
Bryan Adams fill in some of the narrative silence, and even though some of just
comment on the action (Ebert admits to finding this annoying), they are in the
spirit of the story. The film is short at 82 minutes, but surprisingly moving,
and has a couple of really exciting segments, one with a train wreck and the
other a dangerous jump across an abyss. Ebert ending his review by saying, “Uncluttered
by comic supporting characters and cute sidekicks, "Spirit" is more
pure and direct than most of the stories we see in animation--a fable I suspect
younger viewers will strongly identify with.”
The only mystery we see from this film, which is a
by-the-numbers computer-animated movie of wild horses and adventurous girls, is
why Universal Pictures wanted to release this in theaters – because even before
the pandemic, this would have been considered as “direct to video.”
“Spirit Untamed” is a spiritual sequel of a type to “Spirit:
Stallion of the Cimarron” – except where that hand-drawn film gave the horses voices
(the main horse was voiced by Matt Damon), here the horses make only horse
noise. (Credit voice actor and foley artist Gary A. Hacker for the horse noises
heard.)
Instead, “Spirit Untamed” is about a 12-year-odl girl,
Lucky Prescott, voiced by Isabela Merced. Lucky was called “Fortuna” by her
mom, Milagro, voiced by Elza Gonzalez, a stunt rider who died in a horse
accident when Lucky was just a baby. Her grieving father, Jim (Jake Gyllenhaal),
sent Lucky to grow up in the city, cared for by Jim’s sister, Cora (Julianne
Moore).
However, one summer when Jim’s father, voiced by Jim
Hart, is running for governor of the land (which land is never mentioned), Cora
escorts Lucky out to her dad to spend summer with him. On the train over, Lucky
sees a herd of wild horses – whose chief looks like Spirit from the first
movie. Lucky also meets Hendricks, voiced by Walton Goggins, a corrupt cowboy
who wants to catch these wild horses and make a lot of money.
When they arrive in town, Lucky makes friends quickly
with Pru Granger (Marsai Martin), who rides in her dad’s (Andre Braugher) rodeo
show, and the guitar-playing Abigail Stone (Mckenna Grace). Making friends with
Spirit, who for a short time is tied up in the corral, takes longer.
Sean P. Means said in his review, “Besides its origin
in the 2002 movie, “Spirit Untamed” also recycles characters from “Spirit
Riding Free,” an animated series that ran on Netflix from 2017 to 2020. And
that’s what “Spirit Untamed” feels like: Something recycled.”
Director Elaine Bogan, making her directing debut after
moving away at DreamWorks’ TV shows, works to put some excitement in the chase
scenes and humor, humor in the scenes between Lucky and Spirit, and girl
children enthusiasm when Lucky, Pru, and Abigail are in pursuit.
Means said, “Unfortunately, Bogan is boxed in by
lackluster animation and a script (by Kristin Hahn and Katherine Nolfi)
stretched too thin to cover the running time.” “Spirit Untamed” isn’t in any
way a bad movie, just an average one, and what’s sadder, a superfluous one.
I had heard of the first movie and never really
bothered to watch it until the sequel came out. After seeing the first movie, I
really like it and think it is another good movie by DreamWorks. However, I can’t
say the same about the sequel. I don’t really see the need to make a sequel, but
it’s not to say that I didn’t like it. I think it was a nice sequel with some
good elements in there, just one that I think was just ok. Check out the first
one since that is one that everyone should see, but the choice is yours if you
want to see the sequel.
Thank you for joining in on the review tonight. Check in
this Friday for the conclusion of “The Crow Month.”
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