Movie Review: "Storm Boy" is For the Birds

Did'ya know there’s a new Storm Boy, following the 1964 book by Colin Thiele and its 1976 film adaptation?

If you’ve not seen or read the originals, and are fascinated with fowl, you might get something out of this remake, but beyond that highly specific demographic, it's a hard one to recommend.

The '60s-set flick stars Finn Little as the titular Storm Boy, christened as such by his Indigenous neighbour Fingerbone Bill (Trevor Jamieson). Storm Boy discovers three pelican chicks near his hidden beachside home in coastal SA and raises them. One of the birds, Mr. Percival, becomes his constant companion, at first to the suspicion of his grieving father, nicknamed Hideaway Tom (Jai Courtney). Eventually though, even Tom is having heart-to-heart convos with the bird, whose dead eyes betray no familiarity.

Director Shawn Seet and screenwriter Justin Monjo attempt to justify their new take on a beloved Aussie classic with a framing device in which grown up Storm Boy, Mike Kingley (an especially condescending Geoffrey Rush), is summoned in the present day for a board vote to lease his family’s farmland to a mining company. His granddaughter Madeline (Morgana Davies) protests the sale. You see where this is going: a hardened businessman reconnects with his youthful free spirit while relaying the tale of Mr. Percival, ultimately agreeing to protect Australia’s environment for future generations. Except, not really? The film can’t settle on either side of the debate, kicking that particular can down the road to a destination long past the closing credits.

So, why are we here? The film, photographed by Bruce Young, certainly looks pretty. Jai Courtney, unexpectedly, has grown into an empathetic and appealing father figure on screen, and Little, aged just 11, can make a one-way exchange with an unfeeling bird-actor at least ring emotionally true. (Cinema has gotten a lot of mileage out of stories about kids and their pets, and Storm Boy hits those beats semi-reliably.) And it does take precisely one political stand, against those who hunt animals for sport, as part of Storm Boy’s otherwise broken promise of being an environmental message movie.

Otherwise, the dour Storm Boy may only be notable for being the first major release starring Rush following allegations of sexual misconduct (allegations he denies) and his recent defamation trial.

If that sounds like a fun time at the movies to you, have at it.

2.5/5

In Australian cinemas now. Rated PG for mild themes and occasional coarse language.

Header Image: Sony Pictures