The newly released Slumberland is a fantasy and adventure movie directed by Francis Lawrence. Netflix’s newest fantasy film was released only less than two weeks ago and has gained a lot of buzz. Especially with Jason Momoa co-starring it. Written by David Guion and Michael Handelman, Slumberland is based on the novel Little Nemo by Winsor McCay, the film was added to the streamer a week after its official release.
Jason Momoa stars as Flip, who is a flamboyant outlaw who befriends Nemo (Marlow Barkley) when she finds a map and walks into the dream world. The duo arch onto a journey all while Nemo is out to look for her father, Peter, who is lost at the sea. A wild journey full of dreams and nightmares while Nemo continues to be guided by her companion, Flip. The plot is beautiful, and so is Jason Momoa’s praiseworthy comedic presence.
Alongside Marlow Barkley, Momoa managed to serve us a fun-filled and entertaining film that lets us escape into the dream world. It’s an imaginative realm full of dreams, nightmares, and pearls with magic. Prior to beginning the journey, Nemo used to live on an island with her father Peter (Kyle Chandler).
Peter used to love and care for her child and tell her lots of fantasy stories. Soon Peter has to leave to help a ship in danger nearby when a storm strikes. Nemo has a nightmare that the sea is taking her father away and that he meets with an almost squid-like monster.
Soon after, Nemo learns that her father has passed and that he had made arrangements for her after he died to live with his brother Phillip in a new city. After the move, Nemo’s known world of her bed and her teddy comes to life and hops on an enchanting journey to the island. She finds Flip trying to find a map, who claims to have been her father’s partner. They set out to find the wish-granting pearls and go on an enchanting journey. In this journey through the dream world, anything is possible.
Amongst all of this BOSA (Bearue of Subconscious Activity) has been after Flip (Momoa) as he is the most wanted man in the dream world. As it turns out, Flip was Nemo’s Uncle Philip’s dream alter ego and has been stuck there since Peter left his brother to go start a new life. Overcoming several obstacles, Nemo finally manages to get the pearls in the sea of nightmares. She uses one to bring Flip back to the waking world. And the other to find her father Peter.
At the end of the film, Peter and his daughter Nemo meet and share precious moments. At the end of it, Peter reassures Nemo that she can continue to embark on adventures in the waking world. He tells Nemo that she is brave and that she can go through life without him, not trapped in a dream world. Meanwhile, Phillip and Nemo’s relationship grows stronger. When Flip comes back to Phillip, he gathers the courage and determination to save Nemo from drowning.
The whole story is beautiful and finds its conclusion in the thought that life goes on. The whole experience is both Phillip and Nemo’s personal path to recovering from the grief of losing someone close to them. A form of coping. A beautiful film with a lot of plot twists. Although they could have explored the dreams with more creativity, all in all, Slumberland is a must-watch. Catch it streaming on Netflix right now. But first, catch the trailer for the newest fantasy world journey here!
