Forgotten Island Review: DreamWorks' New Movie Leans on Friendship, Culture and a Strong Ending

I went into this one really not knowing a lot about it, other than that it was highly anticipated. Forgotten Island follows two friends stranded in a mystical world, where their only escape must cost them their shared lifetime of memories. I enjoyed the movie a lot.

Two misfit friends grow up together before the island changes everything

The setup centers on two girls who have been friends forever, kind of misfits who befriend one another when they are little kids and then grow up together. One of the kids is heading toward a new future, like something new is about to happen for her, and the other one feels like she might get left behind.

Then they find this island, the thing they have always dreamed about as kids. Once they are there, they discover that their memories are slipping away and they cannot remember things. Why that is happening is something you have to find out by seeing the movie yourself, so I am keeping that part vague on purpose.

A big voice cast including Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Jo Koy and Ronny Chieng

This has a pretty big cast, with Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Jo Koy and Ronny Chieng among a lot of other people in the movie. Dave Franco voices Raww, a kind of dog boy character, and you see his history with the island and what is happening with him throughout the story. Jenny Slate also has a good role in it.

Both of them are people who have had voices in other animated films and stood out there. Dave Franco was recently in the most recent Pixar movie, and Jenny Slate is obviously known for Zootopia, among their other work outside of animation. I think that combination is a good blend for this cast.

The jokes do not always land for me, but the emotion and friendship do

Whether or not you are going to love a movie like this often comes down to how the humor lands for you, and that held true here. Some of the jokes did not land for me, and there were a few I did not fully get. What did land was the emotion, the character work, and the relationship between these two girls, how they rely on one another and look at each other as family, and the things they have to overcome.

As a father of two, that felt like a pretty strong message to me. These are things kids should know, should learn, should listen to, but I do not think it beats you over the head with it, because there is a lot of fun built in with some of the characters and other elements around that core relationship.

Familiar tropes are here, but the friendship still makes them feel earned

There were familiar tones in this, and some things that were a little predictable. Some of it has been done before, but it is done in a different way that still works because you care enough about these characters. Even when there is a trope or two you have clearly seen before, it still feels good because you are attached enough to these two girls.

That attachment is really what the whole movie relies on, and I think it is what will decide your enjoyment of it too. How you feel about the relationship between these two young girls, what they go through, how they are feeling, the emotion they go through overall on this island.

Side characters bring the comic relief in this Alice in Wonderland type world

The comic relief here comes from the side characters, and there are quite a few of them in this kind of Alice in Wonderland type world that the girls wind up going into.

Leaning into Filipino culture the way Coco leaned into its own

I think the movie leans heavily into a specific culture, and I think a lot of people will respond to that. It reminded me of the way Coco brought audiences into a culture some of them did not already relate to or know about. Coco felt inviting to me, and I imagine it felt even more recognizable to people from that culture. This is very similar with the Filipino culture and the things the movie does with it.

Some of that content went over my head, and I did not always get it. That is not a case of the movie not being for me, it is just that a particular joke did not land for me specifically. I think it will land for somebody else, and that is fine.

My score: 3.9 out of 5, and the ending actually delivers

Overall I did think this movie was solid. Some of the jokes do not necessarily land, and there is some repeated territory that feels a little predictable, but overall it is a really solid movie that makes you feel good. I've seen movies recently where I've loved the movie and then the ending doesn't deliver. This was one where I was into it the whole way through, and the ending is where it really landed for me.

I am going pretty big with my score. I will say 3.9 out of five for this one, and I am sticking with that, though it could go up the next time I see it.

Take the kids: the messages about friendship land without being heavy handed

I always like to review a movie first and foremost just as a movie, whether it is aimed at adults or kids, and then think about it separately for parents bringing their kids. This is one I definitely think you can take your kids to. There are a lot of solid moments in it and a lot of solid messages, and it does not beat you over the head with them.

Especially if you have younger kids who are forming friendships of their own, I think the message here about the power of friendship is a pretty powerful one for them to sit with.