MOVIE REVIEWS Kids: The Sea Beast Parents: Jurassic World Dominion

BY BONNIE L. HARRIS

CLEVERLY DISGUISED AS A swashbuckling pirate movie without the pirates, The Sea Beast, blends gender equality and animal sensitivity into an exhilarating monster adventure on the high seas. It’s a story of redemption and acceptance in a makebelieve world that seems utterly real because of the wonderful characters and the astounding computer animation. The Sea Beast proves that a pint-sized female lead named Maisie can charm the boots off a hardened ship captain, live her dream of chasing monsters, and in the end, completely change her world. And we have to give credit to the forever-loyal first mate named Sarah, who runs a tight ship called The Inevitable, and her top boatswain, Ms. Merino. Who says a woman aboard ship is bad luck? These capable women keep Captain Crow afloat when he runs amok chasing the great beast known as the Red Bluster. Captain Crow’s adopted son, Jacob, is a legendary beast hunter, but he begins to question his father’s doctrine that all sea beasts only want to destroy humans. Accidentally thrown overboard together, Maisie and Jacob befriend the Red Bluster, and in return, SHE saves them from the perils of the deep. They discover a gentle, intuitive, playful animal who recognizes right from wrong better than the humans. Not only does Jacob eventually reject the status quo, but Maisie also discovers that hundreds of years of war were invented by the royal family to keep themselves rich and powerful. Saving the Red Bluster from Captain Crow, the hunters, and the royals takes every ounce of courage, but Maisie and Jacob bravely reveal the truth that leads to the end of a corrupt tradition. In Maisie’s words, “You can be a hero and still be wrong.” But The Sea Beast definitely gets it right in so many ways. ✦

Sony Pictures Imageworks Rated: PG Streaming on Netflix Unlikely hunters thrown together.

JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION Universal Pictures, Rated: PG-13 In theaters & streaming on Amazon

MEDIOCRE MOVIES OFTEN run out of story before they get to Act Three. Jurassic World Dominion has the opposite problem that could be called “story stuffing.” There are so many story lines stuffed in this so-so bio-disaster movie, it’s hard to keep up. First, the dinosaurs are loose and mankind has plenty of trouble coexisting. Second, we’ve got a nasty plague of giant locust devastating the global food supply. Third, there’s a horrific dinosaur black market intermixed with a corporate villain, Biosyn Genetics, and both are rounding up dinosaurs for experimentation. Meanwhile, Claire and Owen are protecting the genetically engineered 14-year-old Maisie Lockwood, who insists on her freedom and is kidnapped. Toss in Dr. Sattler and Dr. Grant, who break into Biosyn to prove the greedy corporation is behind the swarms of giant locust. Then add two undercover rebels, Ian Malcolm and newcomer Ramsay Cole, who help Sattler and Grant access the Biosyn lab. And don’t forget Blue, the velociraptor, is after her missing baby. Pile that together with some cool CGI and you have an okay sequel that doesn’t teach us much except the planet is going from bad to worse, and Universal Studios is making plenty of money on dinosaur movies.

Here comes T-Rex.