Elemental movie review: A visual spectacle that's missing the Pixar spark

In recent years, Pixar, once regarded as an unparalleled powerhouse in the animation industry, has experienced a noticeable decline as a brand. It is not as though the quality of films has gone totally down the drain, but the stories have certainly lost the spark that made them stand out among the competition. The last few Pixar pictures have been downright underwhelming. They are still watchable, mainly due to the trademark visual flair, but fail to create the level of excitement of Finding Nemo or Coco or any of the Toy Story movies. This is also evident in Elemental, which is a perfectly okay animated feature with all the visual razzle-dazzle you expect from the studio. However, it too feels like a retread of a bunch of past Pixar stories rather than anything fresh and original.

What is Elemental all about?

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Elemental follows the journey of Bernie and Cinder Lumen, beings made of fire — let's call them fire element — who face discrimination upon immigrating to Element City, a sprawling metropolis where water elements are the elite. Others, particularly fire elements, are confined to their own quarters. The Lumens establish The Fireplace, a convenience store that represents their heritage, to serve other fire elements, and raise their daughter Ember to eventually inherit the place. Ember, however, has something of an, um, fiery temper and must learn to control it before her father is confident to hand her the reins.

One day, Ember's outburst, triggered by capricious and clamorous customers, causes a flood in the shop's basement that summons Wade Ripple, a water element and city inspector. To save the store, Ember and Wade team up to locate and seal a leak in the city's plumbing. Along the way, despite the opposing nature of their essence (fire and water), they develop a connection.

An allegory for the immigrant experience

If it wasn't already apparent, Elemental is a rather unsubtle allegory for the Asian immigrant experience in the Western world, particularly the US and the UK. The film depicts the Lumens relocating to Element City, where they encounter a lack of cultural sensitivity and understanding. In a notable scene, the person responsible for onboarding the Lumens refuses to learn their names in their own language, opting instead to anglicise them. Wade finds Lumens' food too fiery (read spicy) for him and has to dunk it in water to make it palatable.

One of Wade's family members praises Ember's command over their language, to which she responds (and I am paraphrasing) how surprising that is, considering she was born in the city and it is her native language. The film is full of these little moments that talk about the issues related to cultural assimilation and identity.

Despite simplistic parallels, Elemental is successful in bringing out through Wade's character arc, the importance of empathy, understanding, and breaking down barriers.

Visuals are breathtaking

Elementals is visually stunning. There are moments in the film that took my breath away. The attention to detail and the artistry displayed in each frame reassured me that at least here, Pixar has not lost its edge. The artists behind the movie have crafted scenes that are reminiscent of the ethereal beauty found within lucid dreams, those from which you wake with a sense of wonder and awe. The way the fire-in-fire elements flickered and danced, casting its warm glow in the air surrounding it, or how the water-in-water elements glistened and rippled with every movement, created a mesmerising, transportive spectacle. The 3D does not do much here (these days, only James Cameron can be trusted to do something interesting with the technology) so I recommend catching the movie in much cheaper 2D.

So... is Elemental worth watching?

As I said above, Elemental is a perfectly okay movie. It is incredibly good-looking and is a nice if not very nuanced allegory for the immigrant experience, but it is also very... pat. The themes underpinning the narrative, although well-intentioned, are executed in a predictable and formulaic manner. The film adheres to certain established Pixar tropes and story beats, so much so that I was able to predict the film's ending, right down to small details, not halfway through the narrative. The film is safe and predictable and its formulaic approach leaves little room for surprises or genuine moments of revelation.

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