j* movie reviews 2020

Odd Squad: The Movie (2016)

Pint sized stars and a world of fun CGI was invented for.

Nothing makes me happier than kids who are freaking phenomenal at acting. I remember finding Will Poulter ages ago, in some weird Brit-com where children just acted in these adult roles and it was epic. And this film is also epic. A team of tiny child-legend who defend their town from "odd" things with science and maths and occasional well thought out gadgets. It's like James Bond meets Kingsman meets Round the Twist meets Alex Mac. Their endlessly effortless kid gags had me laughing and laughing and laughing. And they are all so good at acting.

The other super cool thing is that this has a CGI budget and it knows how to use it to do wildly inventive things. Things normal "universe" construction would never allow, but the open-minded wildness of kids embraces. Ginor-mouse? No drama. Never ending replication of Daves? We can do that. Mirror suits? Snail feet? Endless golden use of computer wizzardry. Makes superhero films look like a stuck in the mud snooze-fest.

Apparently this film is an escalation from a kids tv series, also called Odd Squad, that I've never seen. But I did not feel like I was missing anything. I suppose there could be a few extra in-jokes, but I was well along for the wild ride. The premise here is that some adult losers called Weird Team cut in on the Odd Squads territory, usurp the natural balance of kids fixing weird/odd issues, disaster comedy ensues. There are far more graphs than your average film. And they are particularly well communicated. The exponential Dave-doubling issue could be a handy intro to anyone still grappling with exponential viral growth.

If you like fun, with a side of science-light and some parables about letting the losers in charge of the gadget cabinet, this will entertain. If you don't like kids or films featuring them, this won't be for you, even if these are like small adult humans in their adorable blazers and sciencey-green bow ties.

J* gives it 5 stars.

PS. I have never seen the series, but honestly, all the bits I've seen whilst searching for the movie trailer make me seriously consider it. Odd Squad is freaking cool.