Storm Boy is an Australian film remaking the 1976 film of the same name, adapted from the children's book by Colin Thiele. Overall, I had a very mixed response to the film, sometimes bored, but other times dabbing away at the tears welling in the corners of my eyes.
For those that have not seen the original, the film's major premise is a boy who finds three baby pelicans and chooses to raise them and teach them to fly, rather than leave them to die. The story shares many elements to the 1996 film Fly Away Home which was based on a true story but involved Canadian Geese instead of Pelicans.
The film has some gorgeous cinematography and direction, with wide vivid shots of the Australian landscapes, which greatly contrasts the rather dull and bleached look of the town scenes.
Using real pelicans in the film effectively doubles the number of actors involved, and it is all rather well acted. Jai Courtney is great in his roles as "Hideaway Tom" and is an enjoyable character, unlike in previous performances of his where he comes across overly excitable and irritating. His calm demeanour and generally warm personality doe a great deal of justice to the film, and Finn Little (who plays his son) shows an emotionally engaging performance in what appears to be his first feature film, especially one that involves working so closely with pelicans.
Where the film falters, is in its choices in editing and storylines. With a current time storyline about mining, a father-daughter relationship that needs to be fixed, the story of Hideaway Tom, Raising the Pelicans, and a hunter story, the film ends up switching and changing focus a multitude of times, and the editing becomes both repetitive and convoluted. Considering that the majority of the film is a flashback, it gets a bit excessive when it starts giving flashbacks within flashbacks, the constant switching between the 2.5 timelines breaking the hold that the emotional story has on the audience.
I did enjoy the film in the end. There were certainly some slower parts where time seemed to drag, and it certainly could have done with some trimming in terms of the storylines. But the relationships between Hideaway Tom, his son, and Mr Percival the Pelican were strong enough to still get an emotional reaction from me.
For that emotional response alone, I'd recommend checking out the film.