The Secret Kingdom
The PR emails for Matt Drummond’s “The Secret Kingdom” liken it to ’80s family fantasy stalwarts such as “The NeverEnding Story” and “Labyrinth.” That is a tall order in terms of legacy, but watching it, you can understand the comparisons. Of course, a few years ago I watched Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits” for the first time, and it was obvious after seeing that classic it was the movie all of those fantasy films- including “The Dark Crystal” and even up to Spike Jonze’s “Where the Wild Things Are” from 2009- were chasing in the 1980s. “The Secret Kingdom” does feel very much of a piece with that era of fantasy filmmaking, from the narrative and themes to the creatures themselves. The poster makes this look like a fairly syrupy modern take on those films- and no doubt some will feel that way- but I found myself engrossed by it, and very much engaged by the world Drummond created.
Like a lot of those ’80s films, Peter (Sam Everingham) and Verity’s (Alyla Browne) story starts with a drastic change in the family. Their parents are taking them on a trip to an old family mansion, and even as Verity feels very at home with this, Peter- who’s afraid to step on cracks- is uneasy. It turns out that there is a more significant reason for them “visiting” this mansion, and as their parents get into it, the floor in Peter and Verity’s room gives way, and they find themselves in a fantasy realm populated by fantastic creatures. It turns out that Peter’s arrival is foretold, and only he can use the Great Clock of the Citadel to destroy the Shroud, a malevolent creature who feeds on fear, and has caused time to stop.
A film like this is less about the complexity of the narrative- which is, honestly, fairly straightforward if you’re familiar with any of the films listed above- and more about the way it builds its fantasy world, and what it does thematically to test its characters. The story of children whose adventures in a fantasy world is essential to the survival of said world goes back to C.S. Lewis, but what I liked about this is how Peter’s anxieties- which we come to recognize in the first part of the film- are played genuinely, and- as we learn more about what caused them- we see what he’s really made of, and how much he’s holding on to the past, which isn’t allowing him to move forward. That’s a strong emotional hook for this type of film that I think Drummond plays honestly with to get where he gets to in the end.
Visually, I was quite taken with the design of this world. Drummond has a background in visual effects, and what I like about this film is that it builds a world that may not be unfamiliar from other fantasy films we’ve seen, but has its own style that felt distinctive. The character designs have some based on real creatures, and some that call to familiar fantastic creatures, but the writing sets them apart. He gives these creatures their own unique voices that can be silly, but aren’t unbearably so, and he also doesn’t ladle on a lot of unnecessary comic relief, and just makes them important companions to the main characters with personalities. That’s more important than making them “cute.”
As someone who grew up with the 1980s fantasy films, I appreciated how Drummond’s “The Secret Kingdom” recognized the aspects of those films that were most important, and made something that stood on its own apart from them. When we think of films built on nostalgia, Drummond shows us how filmmakers can use that inspiration of what we loved as a child, and make something that reflects us. More filmmakers could stand to learn that lesson.
