Rocketing onto the screen, Jimmy and pal blast
passed a baffled formation of Air Force jets. Buzzing
nearly out of the atmosphere, Jimmy places
his satellite (an electric toaster) in orbit, "Cool!
We didn't blow up!"
Back on Earth, negotiating playtime rights with
mom and dad seems a much more daunting task.
Jimmy: "But mom! I'm on the verge of communication
with an advanced alien civilization!"
Mom: "I've told you not to talk to strangers!"
After a fantastically fun (for the viewer) day at
school, which includes a spectacular "show and tell"
scene with a wonderfully out-of-touch teacher (Andrea
Martin), Jimmy's gang stumbles across a poster
advertising the grand opening of Retroland. Compelled
beyond the self-disciplining limits of little boys,
they set out to win playtime rights on a school
night. The parents, unimpressed by their offsprings'
enthusiasm, decline.
In fact, the tongue-in-cheek, yet clearly honest
portrayal of these parent-children relationships
propels this film out of the stratosphere and into
the realm of excellence. Mom and dad crack open a
book for some advice, its title: "Unwrapping your
Gifted Child." Subtle wisecracks like these abound -
pay attention. A full two-thirds of the film sports a
fresh, odd, fast-paced humor very enjoyable to adults
... perhaps even more than to kids.
Visually, the computer animation approaches a Nick
Park ("Wallace and Grommet," "Chicken Run") almost
clay-mation look. In fact, "Neutron" may be sort of
an American tribute to Park's brand of British humor.
Outlandish and colorful, eventually, aliens abduct
all the parents in the neighborhood. Though Jimmy's
initiation of the rescue launches mightily -- even
awesomely, the wacky originality of the film gives
way to a rote sci-fi wrap up.
Still very very enjoyable ... this could have been
one of the best pictures of the year.
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