Paper Planes (2015)

An unexpected masterpiece

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I actually forgave this movie for its predictable plot purely due to the fact it tackled adult depression and what the impact that it has on the life of a child. I've been disappointed to read reviews claiming that Sam Worthington's character was simply moping around. He had depression. This is still misunderstood by adults and must be awful for the children of a depressed adult to deal with. So I applaud this movie for tackling the subject! Apart from that, it does show case some beautiful Australian scenery and remote rural living. I was somewhat surprised though, having grown up in a remote part of the country, that everybody did not know everybody else in the community - I found that a bit unbelievable. I would also add that if every school teacher had the enthusiasm that these kids had in the movie, education would be flourishing in Australia!

At first this movie may seem like it is just a film about trying to build the best paper plane in the world but the film encompasses so much more than that. The actual plane building makes up some portions of the film but the rest actually is spent with getting to know the characters and seeing some relationships evolve over the course of the film. This movie had a lot of heart and many emotional scenes especially when it is following the boy's relationship with his father. You really understand these two characters and get to know them and see them really grow. Sam Worthington (Jack) and Ed Oxenbould (Dylan) were great in the film, their relationship felt real and you could buy into their actions and decisions. The overall story was carried by these two characters, mostly the child as you see him progress through the paper plane competition. It is an interesting story, although there was a section 3/4 into the movie that i felt slowed down a little too much just momentarily, but then it picked itself up ad finished off pretty strong. Where i felt the film could have done a lot better is with the supporting cast. Well, excluding the grandpa, he was the comedic relief in the film and i would have to say he was pretty entertaining and did lighten the mood a few times. There was one bit that was a bit too silly and dramatised but he wasn't the issue. I'm mainly talking about the other child actors in the film, Dylan's school friend and his rival in the competitions i felt at times played too much to their stereotypes. I'm not sure if it was the actors or the writing but sometimes they felt, well, like a character and not a real person. There is also a subplot with another girl that was oddly introduced, it felt very out of place and took me out of it for a bit. But in the end this is a fun, heartfelt story about a boy and his father that takes place during a plane throwing competition, and if you can avoid focusing too much on some of the unrealistic plane throws you can enjoy this movie. - 7

Saw this yesterday in Dubai with my two kids who are also Aussies, yet not born there. We all liked it enough to score an 8. Enjoyed all the imaginative aspects. Especially liked the positive, assertive approach to bullying which has been a problematic kids theme forever. Sam Worthington's character lacked substance. The depiction of a country school was delightful and the scenery / sounds of Australia were vivid after too many years as an ex-pat. The last kids film from Oz like this was Napoleon (1995) also featuring animals and gorgeous imagery. Very happy to see how important the 'people' relationships were highlighted and a testament to Aussie values. The Grand Dad character was a treat.

I really wanted to like this movie. The premise is good but the execution was just terrible. Considering that some big names such as Sam Worthington, David Wenham, Deborah Mailman and Eric Bana (producing) were attached to it, I really thought we were in for a sweet, unpretentious kids movie. Happy to forgive the plot holes and the flight of fantasy sequence between the boy and his grandfather, but the dialogue was so poorly written it became just tedious in the end. I could have done a better job writing it, frankly. The young boy who stars in the movie just isn't a strong enough actor to carry it, at least not with the dialogue he was given to work with. Aussies can pull off some good, strong, well- scripted movies, but the weak ones like this one just pull the average right down.