Homeward: An Honest, Detailed Review

If you’re going to give an accurate review on a film like Homeward (2020), you have to watch it for what it is, not what you want it to be or were expecting. You’ve gotta go into the experience with an open mind; talent of all kinds put months and often years into the making of movies, and while art is subjective and up for interpretation, film making overall is no easy profession. Some motion pictures flop and others break box office records, but each movie has a collection of good and bad reviews circling the internet from every day fans to acclaimed critics. Whether you read them for enjoyment or for ideas of what to watch when there’s seriously nothing else to watch, here’s an honest review of Homeward.

What is it?

I really actually found myself asking this question when I first watched Homeward. The film follows two brothers in high school: the eldest is an eager elf ready graduate to attend the university of his dreams and the youngest is an orc who continually seems to sabotage his older brother’s life through pranks and his immature personality. In an attempt to rid his brother of his life so he may graduate in peace, Lloyd, voiced by Joey Lawrence, takes his little brother to New Orc City to “be with the other orcs” while he receives his diploma in Elfdale. Barl, voiced by James Cullen Bressack, meets a rough and tough gang to prowl around the city with, only to find that his new friends have one thing on their agenda: complete orc domination. It is up to Barl, Lloyd and their newfound pal, Scrap, voiced by Kim Little, to save all elves and orcs from being set back a thousand years.

After a search for released 2020 films, the title so strikingly similar to that of a well-known production company’s recent film’s (whew) name is what prompted me to watch this hidden... gem... (you’ll understand if you watch it) and after my initial viewing, curiosity overthrew me. Seriously, was this a joke or was it serious? Following some brief research, it turns out that Homeward really isn’t a film to be watched seriously; its a mockbuster, not a “rip off” of any other movies, though, some similarities exist. Mockbusters are typically comedic, low-budget films that have a title, story, or characters that resemble that of a major motion picture in hopes that parents buy it for their children or fans of popular films purchase the mockbuster as it is subconsciously (or in Homeward’s case blantantlty) reminds them of whatever movie it was inspired by. The Asylum, the minds behind Homeward, is a Burbank, Calif. based film production company that has released countless other mockbusters prior to 2020, including several animated mockbusters specifically. Incidentally, critics have not been kind to The Asylum’s latest feature; it is a mix-up between those that simply didn’t enjoy the film for what it is and those that missed the mockbuster memo. Regardless of their opinions, here is mine:

My Review

Overall, I’m not displeased with my Homeward experience despite this being an unpopular opinion. There’s parts that make me laugh because they’re so far out there and unlike anything else others are doing, while other scenes and lines make me violently cringe. This balance for me isn’t Homeward specific, it’s just something I’ve found as film makers try to reach as wide of an audience as possible; perhaps no one is going to like every part, but, some might. I can get past it as long as the movie has more to offer than its dialogue. The story flows well and even manages to open up the opportunity to teach youth or those that need it a lesson on racism, as there’s a whole orc versus elves dynamic going on throughout the one hour and twenty minute production.

As far as the voice acting goes, it’s not the most believable in the world but I felt it strangely worked with the aesthetic of the film, and I don’t mean that rudely. Once you get to know Homeward’s characters, the voices fit well, but there’s always room for improvement. There are times it is unclear where it is the fault of the script or poor voice acting, but with the help of some camera tricks, there’s plenty of jokes that hit you when you least expect it. Contrary to the beliefs of my fellow critics, I understood the humor and I’m about a decade short of being 35, so there’s that.

Now let’s discuss the CG department. It’s apparent that The Asylum is no Industrial Light & Magic, but I would like to see someone sit down to model and animate a movie entirely on their own under a deadline. That’s exactly what Homeward’s director, Michael Johnson, did with the exception of one additional animator. To children, this is incredibly entertaining; to adult aged animation viewers, this movie looks like a cheap off-brand. Despite this, myself having knowledge in 3D modeling and design, I can’t help but note that Homeward is still a project that clearly took a large amount of time, resources and skill. With that being said, the textures are flat and there’s so much clipping going on I’m bald. Furthermore, with modern day technologies available such as Video Enhance AI by Topaz Labs, how is the final product such a low resolution? Surely the $199.99 total retail price to upscale each frame would pay off; you’d have less of that fuzz and more crisp, 4K Homeward. Low- budget doesn’t have to mean low-resolution.

As I said before, Homeward’s plot flows nicely, yet I can’t escape the feeling that there’s too often scenes that could pick up the pace a bit. Nevertheless, I went into this not expecting much, and that’s about what I got, with the bonus of it not being as bad as I was anticipating. After my dive into the internet to locate an understanding of the film, Homeward certainly makes a lot more sense in my brain, but would I recommend it? Why not. There’s something out there for everyone, and perhaps Homeward will find a special place in your watch history.