Slumberland, 2022.
Directed by Francis Lawrence.
Starring Jason Momoa, Marlow Barkley, Kyle Chandler, Chris O’Dowd, Weruche Opia, India de Beaufort, Humberly Gonzalez, Tonya Cornelisse, Ava Cheung, Michael Blake, Luxton Handspiker, Jamillah Ross, Katerina Taxia, and Owais Sheikh.
SYNOPSIS:
A young girl discovers a secret map to the dreamworld of Slumberland, and with the help of an eccentric outlaw, she traverses dreams and flees nightmares, hoping to see her late father again.
Slumberland has a decent concept for exploring dreams and the subconscious, but like most Netflix tentpoles, director Francis Lawrence loses sight of that story in favor of CGI-heavy chase sequences that are neither exciting nor thrilling. Occasionally, there will be a special effects-heavy sequence that takes advantage of the sizable budget that the filmmakers have been granted to conjure up something aesthetically pleasing and unique, such as dancing humans made up of blowing and colorful leaves, but for the most part, it’s overdone and ugly green-screen settings giving the illusion of peril, or cliche smoke monsters representing nightmares.
This is frustrating not only because Slumberland undeniably has potential but that Winsor McCay’s novel (which is adapted here by screenwriters Michael Handelman and David Gulon) probably is more concerned with the fantasy dreamworld logic and characterization. Centered on young Marlow Barkley’s Nemo, the film begins with the girl living near and taking care of a remote lighthouse alongside her father, Peter (Kyle Chandler), questionably isolated from the rest of society but assured that one day she will be in charge of the building.
Peter is also a storyteller, telling tall tales to Nemo every night of exploration and treasure hunting alongside his former friend Flip. These stories further fuel Nemo’s imagination, who experiences dreams similar to what she falls asleep hearing.
While attempting to rescue some boats, tragedy strikes. Thus, Nemo is forced to live with Peter’s estranged brother Philip (Chris O’Dowd), a well-meaning door salesman that has succumbed to living alone and his work, struggling to open up emotionally and find the right words to be there for the child and assist her grieving. Nevertheless, he enrolls her in school while also doing research online for parenting tips and tools for human connection.
Meanwhile, whenever Nemo falls asleep, her dreams become far more fantastical, crossing paths with a devil-horned carefree dream traveler played by Jason Momoa. Admittedly, Jason Momoa fails at expressing the charisma necessary to pull this role off, with most of his attempts at comedy and recklessness falling flat. However, the ideas the story is going for are sweet-natured, and he does develop an equally cutesy report with Marlow Barkley. The Creature-human explains the rules of dreams to Nemo and also turns out to be looking for the same treasure her father frequently spoke of in his bedtime stories. If they work together, maybe Nemo can see her father again to give a proper goodbye.
There’s nothing particularly deep about Slumberland, as it spells out for children the purpose of these dreams. That’s also not necessarily bad, as it feels like a refreshing lesson for younger viewers to learn about repression and why people might behave differently in their dreams. There is so much internal logic and potentially fascinating world-building that the filmmakers unfortunately never get around to.
Part of that is due to the cat-and-mouse element introduced, comprised of a Bureau hunting down Nemo and the Creature. There’s also a key part of the plot in that the Creature does not remember the identity of his human form (every dreamer has a counterpart in the real world). Again, Jason Momoa comes off as more annoying than charming here, so in the end, some of the attempts at bonding between Nemo and Philip turn out to be more compelling than the lackluster fantasyland spectacle.
The emotional hook is there alongside a rewarding climactic payoff (with upbeat orchestra music from Pinar Toprak), but the execution seems to miss the point of why this story is interesting in the first place. Everyone involved deserves a better script and direction, especially since it’s easy to imagine crossing into another dream and finding a richer version of Slumberland that lives up to its potential.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
