HOME Review

When “Oh”, a loveable misfit from another planet, lands on Earth and finds himself on the run from his own people, he forms an unlikely friendship with an adventurous girl named Tip who is on a quest of her own. Through a series of comic adventures with Tip, Oh comes to understand that being different and making mistakes is all part of being human. While he changes her planet and she changes his world, they discover the true meaning of the word HOME. (c) Fox

Home is based off of a popular children’s book titled “The True Meaning of Smekday” that tells the story of the Boov, an alien race that stage what they believe are friendly takeovers of planets throughout the galaxy all while running from their enemy the Gorg. The Boov are led by Captain Smek (Steve Martin) who is both arrogant and a coward. After invading Earth and relocating the humans to Australia so the Boov can have their homes, one Boov (our hero Oh {Jim Parsons}) inadvertently sends a house warming party invite to the entire galaxy, including their enemy the Gorg.

Home is written by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember (Epic), and is directed by Tim Johnson (Over the Hedge, Antz). Home speeds by quickly and is packed with the required ‘tons ‘o action’ that is expected from a feature-length children’s film today. However, much like my criticism of Penguins of Madagascar, much of this action falls flat. Does that mean that Home is not enjoyable? No. It is an entertaining movie to watch, especially for the youngsters, but the adults may not be fully engrossed in the same way they are with the likes of The Lego Movie or Big Hero 6.

So, overall, what worked for Home? The voice talent was actually very good. Jim Parsons voices Oh. He has the primary comedic role here and it should be noted that his character never feels like it is trying to be overly funny. The emotional center of the Home belongs to young Tip, voiced surprisingly very well by Rihanna. Tip’s mother is voiced by Jennifer Lopez. Her character is a small part of the story but she does a fine job.

Visually, Home is full of dazzling colors and at times great images. This helps Home feel big and grand, and this will appeal to both the adults and the younger viewers. In addition, Home has a big heart – especially towards the end – and the Rihanna-heavy soundtrack is actually enjoyable. I really don’t like to admit to that.

What did not work for Home? As said before, the action seems to fall flat. Perhaps this is a case of ‘too much of something is not a good thing’. The humor that Home really needs to rely on to be entertaining also fails to hit with impact. As the movie progresses, Home relies less and less on jokes. This is where the movie starts to shine, but all through the opening act Home feels like it is trying way too hard to be hysterical. As said before, the voice acting worked very well but one of the characters is just simply annoying… Steve Martin as Captain Smek is trying to steal the show. This is a huge detriment to Home, and I would like to believe that he should have known better.

For those just going for a 90-minute babysitter (or for audiences who just want a light and funny animated feature) Home is a good movie that is kid-friendly entertainment, but I doubt this is the instant classic that DreamWorks needed right now.

I would recommend Home, but go with the knowledge that you will be treated to a slightly better than serviceable animated movie. Also, keep in mind this review is written with the parents in mind so with that being said…Your kids will probably really like Home even though they may totally forget about it within a day or two.