The Sea Beast is a high seas adventure filled with kaiju-like beasts and a terrific duo of a monster hunter and a young girl who could save all of them! The movie is directed by Chris Williams, his first solo effort, Williams previously co-directed Big Hero 6 (2014) and Moana (2016). It is based on his story and Williams also co-wrote the screenplay with musical lyricist, Nell Benjamin, who worked on the Mean Girls (2018) musical. The animation is by Sony Picture Imageworks. There was a limited theatrical release on June 24th and it debuted on Netflix on July 8th. It opens with some bubbles heard before the camera reaches the surface of green waves. We see a piece of flotsam, and then a young boy gasps for air as he reaches the floatsam. The perspective of dipping underwater and then to the surface is impressive. We see that a burning ship is sinking staining the area with fiery orange. Thunder bursts and then we see the ship breaking apart as it starts to plunge to the depths!
The boy swims up to the surface again and holds on to the wreckage of the ship. He looks up to see a massive tail submerge! This makes me think of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). He is frightenened and we pull back to see the massive sea beast swim under the floatsam, skeleton-like white markings run along its back, the floatsam and the boy are a tiny speck compared to it. This shifts to a girl reading a story from Tales of Captain Crow to children who surround her. She sees illustrations of sea beasts that she said terrorized the seas. The children watched with amazed and happy faces. She turns a page to a hunter and she then sees an illustration of a ship with red sails, the Inevitable. A kid in a paper hat interrupts the story to pretend to be the legendary Captain Crow. He whacks the feathers out of a pillow with his wooden stick.
They are caught by the matron who notes that they are up an hour after lights out. The kids scatter to their beds. The matron points out the portraits of the king and queen maintains the orphanage for hunter kids. Maisie has on her smile as the matron leaves and then puts on her boots to leave. She scrambles up to the window and makes her escape from the orphanage. Maisie runs to the forest and eventually leads to the sea. Her spirit of adventure is like Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island. Then, we see the bow of a sailing ship, with sea beast prow and scales around its hull, this is the Inevitable. It is run with orders by Ms. Merino (Helen Sadler), then we see the belt and weapons of monster hunter, Jacob Holland (Karl Urban). He climbs up to the mast to ask the lookout, she has spotted a red tail. Jacob heads to the bow where Captain Crow (Jared Harris) says he can feel the Red Bluster up ahead.
He says he has been chasing it for 30 years! Shades of Moby Dick. The different beasts remind me of How to Train Your Dragon (2010) where the threats may have to be understood to deal with them. They are joined by first mate, Sarah Sharpe (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who has a peg leg and says it is going to the Dregmoor Sea. The lookout spots another hunting ship that is being attacked. Captain Crow recognizes it as the ship of Jim Nicklebones. Jacob adds that a Brickleback is the sea beast after the ship. Crow sees the Red Bluster tail plunge into the sea and wants to continue after it. Jacob reminds him of the code and Crow orders the ship to be turned to Nicklebones ship. At the misty battle, a crewman is pulled by tentacles of the Brickleback. Nicklebones (Brian T. Delaney) has lost hope. Then, he sees the Inevitable. Ms. Merino sends out a red charge to alert the sea beast. They have caught its attention and start the chase.
Out at sea, Jacob leaps down to his fellow monsters hunters with a spear, they attach themselves with rope to hang off the port side. Crow calls for the bagpiper and cannons are fired. The shots strike the water around it or ping off its scale covered back. Arrows are loosed at the sea beast, several strike weak points in its scales. Jacob notes that the beast is going under the ship, he leans out over it on a pole and stabs the Bristleback with a floater to keep it at the surface. The ship is tossed and Jacob catches a young man with a basket of arrows. Jacob looks at the floater and notes that it was severed. Also, that there are no birds, but finds that they are sitting on the mast. Captain Crow realizes that the Bristleback is below them! The sea beast rams the ship upwards and then wraps its tentacles around it. Crow is taken by some tentacles while Sharpe cuts through tentacles and blasts them with her pistols.
Jacob sees the situation with crew members in trouble, helps them, and tosses a harpoon that wounds the Bristleback! In turn, a tentacle slaps him off the ship! Jacob finds himself under the jaws of the sea beast! He is just able to swim away from it. Captain Crow takes up a large harpoon, leaps, and then rams it into the belly of the beast. He rides it into the depths and then begins sawing off the tip of its horn. The Bristleback wakens though and its tentacle pulls down Captain Crow! Incredible designs in creatures and environments that are from the Age of Sail and fantasy! This turns to red until Jacob is able to revive him. He was saved by Jacob it appears, but feels defeated. Sarah tells him that the ship is damaged and needs repairs. Crow tells her to return home to Three Bridges. Later, Jacob has his back wound sewed up by the surgeon.
He goes to raise up the spirits of his crew as the surgeon scrambles to finish sewing the wound. Jacob says they have scars for each person they save. Sarah sends Jacob to speak with the captain. In his cabin, Crow tells him that he will retire after defeating the Red Bluster. The captain shows him the book of his family collecting sea beasts. He will turn over the ship to Jacob whom he found stranded as a boy. The Inevitable returns to port and Maisie watches their return. Captain Crow is headed to see the king and queen to collect the bounties from the Bristleback. Jacob joins everyone for drinks with a sea shanty. Maisie watches from outside. Jacob sits down so Maisie opens the window and introduces herself. She tells him her parents were lancers on the Monarch. Maisie wants to join the crew, but Jacob takes her and puts her in a wagon to the orphanage.
A night of drinks and in the morning, Jacob wakes up in a wagon alongside Sarah as they head to the castle. It is a stunning star-shaped design for a city with harbors. Captain Crow enters the palace with Jacob and Sarah, they walk under a sea beast skeleton and present their trophies to the King (Jim Carter) and Queen (Doon Mackichan). She tells him of his failure to get the Red Bluster. This was told by Admiral Hornagold (Dan Stevens). The King and Queen lead them to the balcony where they find the newest ship, the Imperator. Monster hunters will not be paid in favor of the Royal Navy. Crow finds that the ship is not built for monster hunting and will get sailors killed. He questions that the admiral ever encountered a sea beast and calls them all cowards. The queen orders the general and his soldiers for Crow’s arrest.
Jacob offers an alternative, a wager, if they can stop the Red Bluster before the Imperator, then they will continue the contract. If not then the ship will be taken apart. Captain Crow, Sarah, and Jacob makes plans for the Red Bluster hunt. Crow announces to the crew that they have never gone beyond the Dregmorr Seas, but will under Jacob Holland as captain! Taps are hammered into the kegs and the last one has a cry from it. Jacob lifts up to find Maisie who has stowed away, of course! She is in awe of the captain and speaks about her parents. Captain Crow takes a shine to her and asks Sarah to add her to the crew! Sarah gives her a knife that plays into the story. Later, Maisie discovers a blob of a creature with the deep sea lure , big, yellow eyes, and a tiny body like the sea beasts. She calls it Blue. It’s an adventure on the high seas, a partnership of Jacob and Maisie, and stranding on a monster island of kaiju that may hold the secret to the Red Bluster!
Four Tales of Captain Crow Books ouf ot Five!
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