Top Films of 2022-#9

Today it’s time to reveal my #9 film of the year and it’s one I already talked about in my Biggest Surprises of 2022 post that kicked off this series.

#9 - The Sea Beast

I talked about this film a bit in the original post, but I want to expand on it a bit here. I have to start off with the absolute stunning visuals that elevate this film above most other animated titles I’ve seen this year. The color palette is broad, and because there is such a diversity of color, each one pops and stands out. A few years ago, Moana (affiliate link) stunned the world with the realistic looking water effects in that animated title, and I think The Sea Beast matches Moana in the quality of water visuals.

The story in this film is perfect for the audience and speaks to the importance of not judging anyone or anyTHING before you know enough about them. I recently saw a social media post that said something to the effect of “the most dangerous words in the company are ‘because we’ve always done it that way’” and that applies to the fictional nation portrayed in this film. As far back as they have recorded history, they have fought and hunted the sea creatures because they believed that they were evil and out to get them as they traded across the sea. But it takes a young mind, open to different possibilities, to see that it’s not the sea creatures that are the scourge, but the humans intruding on their territory and threatening them. The creatures are simply defending their territory.

The film is appropriate for this time when young people are looking at the leaders of the world and seeing things that have “always been done a certain way.” They wonder why and are seeing new ways of attacking old problems, often getting push back for those new ideas. Some viewers might dismiss this as a “woke” film since the lead character is a young girl of color, but I hope people will look beyond that to the greater message of the film.

As I mentioned in my Biggest Surprises post, the voice acting in the film is wonderful. Zaris-Angel Hator beings a wonderful energy to Maisie Brumble and is able to play off Karl Urban’s Jacob Holland very well. Jared Harris gets to sink his teeth into the villain role of Captain Crow and in a curious bit of connection, also co-starred with Hator in Morbius, (affiliate link) also released earlier this year.

In the end, The Sea Beast is a wonderful film for both children and adults. You can enjoy it with your kids, and maybe even talk about some of the bigger themes with older children. It’s easily accessible on Netflix, so there’s no reason to not watch it. If you’re looking for something to put on over the holidays, I highly recommend this film.

​​The rest of the posts in this series are all linked below.

• Biggest Surprises of 2022
• Biggest Disappointments of 2022
• Favorite Performances of 2022
• Best Books About Movies in 2022
• Top Short Films I Watched in 2022
• Top 10 First Time Watches in 2022 (1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10)
• Top 10 Films of 2022 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

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