DVD Review – Paper Planes
2 min read
A heartwarming story about a creative young boy who lives with his distraught father after losing his wife, 12-year-old Dylan (Ed Oxenbould) finds himself developing a love of creating and flying paper plans and ultimately strives to compete and succeed in the World Paper Plane Championship held in Tokyo, Japan.
A young rising star in the industry, Oxenbould (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) displays a great performance filled with warmth and adventure. Likewise, well-known for action-themed roles such as Avatar, Terminator Salvation, Sam Worthington shows audiences that he is capable of dramatic roles. Playing a depressed dad, having lost his wife, Worthington’s Jack struggles to help and communicate with his son. For the stereotypical monotoned Worthington, it was a great deviation from his Hollywood action formula.
Known for directing dramatic films, Melbourne based director Robert Connolly (Balibo, The Bank) creates his first family friendly film with Paper Planes, demonstrating unfamiliar territory with the family genre. In the film, Connolly showcases the emotional trials that the average suburban family undergoes – from experience the death of a loved one to believing in yourself and following your dreams, Paper Planes illustrates the deep and intrinsic connection of family.
The most touching elements of Paper Planes is the family values and resilience that is illustrated through the very adventurous Dylan. Writers Connolly and Steve Worland create a sweet and touching script that focuses on the warm tale of reaching your dreams, as well as the unique feature of the notion of paper plane competitions. Of course, family and friendships play evident roles in Dylan’s lives and sets a warm and wholesome tone for the film. Sadly, the whole story seems to fall flat, an unfortunate result of the execution of the story.
A wonderful film about dealing with grief and finding your dreams, Paper Planes is a great family film!
