Matt Drummond started his film career as a visual effects artist. That shines through in his third film as both writer and director, The Secret Kingdom. The fantasy adventure sports the greatest computer-generated images yet seen in an independent production. The armored pangolins are stunning, the crazy lemur feels real, and the dragon is magnificent to behold. Is the story Drummond conjured as magical as his visuals?
Peter (Sam Everingham), who is 12 years old, and his younger sister Verity (Alyla Browne) have just moved to a new town with their parents. Verity’s outspoken ad brash, full of spirit and energy. Peter is much quieter, seemingly afraid of everything. This comes to a head at a local shop, where the mysterious owner knows things she couldn’t possibly. Here, Peter buys a trinket, believing he broke it.
“…they will fulfill the prophecy and stop The Shroud…”
That night, the trinket unveils a hidden world beneath the floorboards the siblings fall through on their bed. They land in a cave tunnel system patrolled by talking pangolins. Soon enough, Peter and Verity learn their coming was foretold and that they will fulfill the prophecy and stop The Shroud (Gabrielle Chan), an evil shadow creature bent on taking over this fantastical world. Verity is up for the adventure, but the ever-fearful Peter is unsure what to do. Nonetheless, he becomes swept into a world beyond his imagination, accompanied by his sister and the loyal pangolin guide Pling (Darius Williams).
The Secret Kingdom is filled with dazzling visuals. The cinematography is lush, matching the fantasy feel of this new land and the creatures the CGI brings to life. The lighting is also stellar, especially on the pangolins, the dragon, and a funny two-headed turtle, all of who are created by effects. In the caves, the torchlight bounces light and shadow across the soldiers very believably. When Peter and Verity first encounter the empathetic dragon, who winds up being an essential ally, how it interacts with the landscape and humans is as realistic as possible. Seriously, there are not enough words to discuss the impressiveness of the visuals, especially the CGI.
As far as the story is concerned, it is another prophecy-based adventure. There are few surprises, and several sequences prove predictable. But Drummond makes some inventive choices, especially in his world-building. The pangolins know directions by songs, and Pling’s constant use of them to figure out where to go is amusing from beginning to end. Plus, the use of games throughout is pretty clever.
