A boy with an active imagination faces his fears on an unforgettable journey through the night with his new friend: a giant, smiling creature named Dark.
Orion (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) is a middle school kid whose fears prohibit him from enjoying life. To help him overcome his fears, primarily of himself, the entity of Dark (voiced by Paul Walter Houser) takes Orion with him to explore the wonders of the night.
I knew nothing about this film going in and was surprised to find out that it was written by Charlie Kaufman (the director of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Adaptation”). “Orion and the Dark” definitely features some of his story beats, such as the metaphysical.
Orion is afraid of many things. He’s scared to be called on in class; he’s afraid of bullies, bees, the ocean, and the dark. Mostly, he is afraid of being humiliated, which prohibits him from making friends as he is too scared to try to talk to them. Some of these fears are relatable, and some are a bit overkill.
While I enjoyed a few of the jokes in the film, I didn’t find anything that sets this film apart. I found it to be an average family film. Kaufman’s writing is to be admired, but I didn’t think it fit in this story adapted from a short children’s book.
Many jokes are aimed towards adults and parents, which will go over kids’ heads. I’m not sure there are many jokes for kids to enjoy in this film. Similar to Pixar’s “Soul,” the themes tackled in this film are dense. The movie also tries to simplify these themes into a light vs dark narrative, but these complex ideas do not fit neatly into a binary.
The film also unexpectedly moves in time. We flash forward to an adult Orion, who is narrating this film to his young daughter, who is also afraid of the dark. It’s a bit of a left turn, but I admire this film trying to do something different, and I liked how this plot point highlights the importance of storytelling.
There are not many big-name stars in this film. Angela Bassett is the only A-lister who lends her voice to the character Sweet Dreams. No one else stood out voice-wise, but I did get a kick from Natasia Demetriou’s character Sleepy.
“Orion and the Dark” will be another Netflix release that comes out, families find it serviceable, and it will quickly be forgotten as they move on to the next thing to watch. Unfortunately, this film tries to take on too many ideas that may be too complex for young kids.
Available to stream exclusively on Netflix, Friday, February 2nd
