Strange World is an alright film. It’s got a sci-fi/adventure feel to it which is fun on the surface. It looks amazing. And it has a plot that’s… alright. Plus it’s chock-a-block full of family drama llama (to its detriment).

The flick is about an isolated town surrounded by endless mountains. Explorers try to find a way out of the mountains… and on one such expedition, they find a mysterious energy source that quickly turns the town into a 1950s sci-fi dream. But something is wrong with the energy so a team descends into the massive underworld to find the cause.

I was hoping for a bit more gee whiz sci-fi excitement in the exploration of the underground (strange) world. It’s certainly bizarre looking but, I dunno, a lot of it felt mundane otherwise. Like they came up with the design and called it a day. The movie’s pacing is uneven too… portions of it are a little plodding, especially with stretches where the family have to work out their issues. They just weren’t that interesting as characters nor their problems laid out well enough to make me care.

Aaaand… I struggle to find much to say about this movie either good or bad. It’s got a neat adventurous tone that doesn’t quite match how the film feels once you get down to it. It has some big ideas that sometimes feel a little muddled. And, frankly, some percentage of the intended audience won’t be allowed to see it by their pearl-clutching parents. I guess it’s an ok enough film… I wasn’t super bored, at least.

Score: 76