Fantasy fans can currently celebrate Netflix’s new addition Nimona, because the supernatural adventure fun hides a great film with a lot of depth behind its colourful façade.
For a week now, Nimona has been making its way around Netflix and convinces as a grandiose fantasy adventure with a sci-fi twist. After a long production path through several studios, and even cancelled by Disney in the meantime, we can now experience the rescued version of the unusual comic adaptation * by ND Stevenson on Netflix. And this animated crime thriller is a feast of creativity and character depth.
Netflix’s fantasy wonder Nimona enchants with mid-age vision of the future
Nimona by Troy Quane and Nick Bruno (Spies Undercover) is set in a fantasy version of a futuristic Middle Ages. This means we enter a city of the future with flying cars and high-tech weapons, but where knights, queens and magical creatures still play a crucial role.
One of these knights, Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed in the original), is falsely accused of murder. Forced to flee, he loses an arm and is falsely labelled a villain. No sooner has he replaced his missing body part with a robot arm than Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) enters the scene.
Nimona is a shapeshifter who can take on any form from rhino to otter. However, she is considered a monster in Ballister’s world because of her magical disposition. A violent sidekick, she offers her help to the fallen knight to restore his reputation.
What follows is a highly enjoyable fantasy thriller that questions categories such as good and evil. While the Netflix film welds the overzealous helper and the reluctant knight into an unbeatable team, sometimes dropping a pink whale through several castle floors, the story is bursting with creative ideas. And the best thing about it: beneath the lively and colourful surface of this fast-paced animated adventure lies a message with real depth.
