A movie that attempted to serve two masters only to be abandoned by both
Wokeness Level: Yellow
Primarily limited to the known lesbian scene and early representational politics of a woman inventing the lightbulb/electricity. Subtle nods towards race mixing.
The Good
+Good visuals
+Competent voice acting
+Made me laugh
+An engaging story with themes about valuing the past as we move forward and what the past means to us.
The Bad
-Few mild woke bits
-Story is predictable
-Abysmal Marketing
Onward is an interesting case where the marketing leaves you with the impression the movie is going to be overflowing with various agendas while leaving the two main characters Ian and Barley entirely sidelined in what is supposed to be a bro-trip where they discover who they really are. At least that was my impression from the marketing and going into the movie I expected a bemusing subversive film filled with the usual predictive programming that would leave me likely begrudging even wasting money on a rental.
In the first few minutes, there was nothing that challenged this view. You’re treated to your usual movie exposition set up showcasing the visual fidelity of the movie. That was fairly impressive. Before Onward moves into a bit of celebration of primitivism (which is essentially what woke people were into before the 1900s social justice movements took root) you see magic slowly gets displaced by technology, invented by a woman of course, and by the time you meet the main characters you already believe you have a feel for the movie.
Then the movie’s tones and themes change as you learn the character’s intricate backstories and how the death of their father impacted the entire family. Barley, the meathead older brother, is actually a history buff because of his father’s memory. As a result, he becomes super into a D&D facsimile as a result of its historic accuracy. Ian, the younger brothe,r who never met his father and grew up without him has no self-confidence and is desperate for a father figure in his life. Their mother does her best, but there is only so much she can do being a single mother. She’s loving, caring, is there for her boys, but can’t be their father.
She dates a Colt Bronco who is a cop and a centaur. Yes despite the maturity this movie goes to, it still throws a few jokes here and there specifically toward children. At which point you kind of wonder if this was a “race-mixing” analogy, or not because every creature is magical, so the world never really explains how that works. This allowed me to largely just ignore it, even as it was obvious the society was “multicultural.”
Oddly enough despite the movie showing a slew of different races of magical creatures living together, it more than not takes potshots on the homogenization of culture as a result of technological progress, which very aptly could be considered synonymous with progressive values with magic representing traditionalism.
As seen in the trailers, Ian discovers he has a gift for magic when he activates the spell that their father crafted as he was dying of disease to allow him to visit his children when they turned 16 so he could see what kind of men they turned out to be. Unfortunately, and predictably the gem shatters midway through the spell and they must go on a journey to get another one with Barley using his knowledge of quests to guide the way.
The journey itself is predictable and breaks no new ground other than the reuniting with the father theme that is well implemented throughout the story. Eventually, you do get to the “lesbian cop” scene the media made sure you knew about and it plays out rather wholesomely. Despite its obvious component composition. Rather than being a “lol gay marriage accept it!” message it is simply from one stepparent to another how children can be a royal pain and they might not welcome you into their lives, but you have to keep working at it for their sake.
Of course, you hadn’t heard about that bit. How could you? Leftists absolutely lack the ability to comprehend the intended message and only saw the “lesbian cop.” Overall only about 5% of the movie is actually woke. A point that surprised both my brother who — was also interested in watching the movie — and myself.
Truly it is a journey of discovery as two boys become men through their journey to see their father again. Not soy boys, not “toxic masculinity free” men, but actual men with confidence and a take-charge attitude. During the journey you learn how the past is important and merely throwing away magic or customs just because of modern convenience is folly.
“You have to take risks in life to have an adventure.” – The Manticore
Of course, the marketing focused on the small percentage of the movie that is in indeed woke. Not that such a fact matters all that much. At the end of the day the movie attempted to serve two masters, and in the end, was abandoned by both. The left for their part was never going to endorse or rush out and see a movie about boys becoming real men while celebrating the role the father plays in a family’s life. The Right was never going to support a movie that — thanks to marketing — looked to be another attempt to condition their children into progressive politics. A rather sad point, because it is with the exception of the opening so subtle, they probably could have gotten away with it.
In the end, both sides abandoned the movie. A tragedy as it hoisted the movie into a limbo between the two sides, proving a man nor movie can serve two masters at the same time.
Final Thoughts
Overall I left Onward pleased. By no means could the movie have been exceptional, but it made me laugh, it made me feel for the characters, and for the most part was wholesome. A fact that took me by surprise especially after the marketing and the fact it is coming from Disney. The world-building is kind of flimsy, but the allegorical nature somewhat makes up for this.
Had the movie’s advertisement not focused on how woke it was going to be or had the movie not included the wokeness in the first place, then there is no doubt in my mind the movie could have achieved Angry Birds levels of success just for being what it was during the times we live in. Alas, such was not the case.
Final Verdict:
