Nimona is a story of rejecting labels. Once upon a time, a great warrior warded off a mythical monster to protect the kingdom. Now, 1000 years later, those of noble birth can ascend the ranks to become knights serving as peacekeepers of the land. One man, Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is about to become the first commoner to achieve this honor. Some citizens see this as progress, while others feel the break from tradition is a first step toward relaxing rules that have kept people safe. When Ballister finds himself running from the law after a misunderstanding, he finds help in a most unexpected place: a young creature with extraordinary powers named Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz). With the two teaming up to discover the truth, Ballister finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew about “monsters.”
What works in Nimona are the fantastic characters, writing, and themes. Moretz is absolutely outstanding as Nimona, a rebellious young adult with a penchant for mischief and disruption. She is laugh-out-loud funny dispelling warmth, wisdom, and comedy in every scene. It helps that Moretz has amazing chemistry with Ahmed, a counterbalance of strictness to Nimona’s energetic anarchy. The lean script from Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor gives them plenty to work with. Nimona is layered with deep messages about confronting assumptions and not putting people into predefined boxes. The mix of tenderness, adventure, and humor will engross and entertain both kids and kids-at-heart equally.
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Audiences who don’t like fantasies, or animated movies with morals, may not enjoy Nimona as much as others. One of Nimona’s core elements is the rich universe, which comes from the imagination of ND Stevenson (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power). It is a world where people will simply have to accept certain truths/rules without a whole lot of context or explanation. In terms of messaging, Nimona is pretty overt with statements about civil rights and challenging authoritative power that rules with fear. It also loosely deals with having and potentially acting upon suicidal thoughts. Nimona handles these complicated and complex issues very adeptly, but families should be aware of the content and how younger viewers might react.
Nimona is a fabulous film for families and audiences of all ages. With brilliant and stunning animations, a top-notch script, and fantastic vocal work, Nimona comes with the highest of recommendations.
Recommended if you Enjoyed: Turning Red, Shrek, Onward
Nimona is now available on Netflix.
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