Blueback (2023)
85%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: NA
Blueback is a visually stunning film that captures the beauty of Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef and its inhabitants. While the film’s environmental message is admirable, it falls short in its execution, coming across as overly preachy and lacking nuance. The coming-of-age story at the heart of the film is wholesome and affecting, but ultimately forgettable. Director Robert Connolly’s pacing keeps the film from dragging, but the tone never quite finds its footing, resulting in a movie that is downright silly at times. Despite its flaws, Blueback is a beautiful love letter to the ocean and a reminder of the importance of conservation.
Blueback is a coming-of-age film that takes place in Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef. The movie is a love letter to the sea creatures that call the reef home and the importance of ocean conservation. While some critics found the film to be overly preachy, others praised the stunning visuals and exceptional cast. Personally, I thought the film was a beautiful and moving story about loss and change, with a laid-back vibe that made it easy to watch. Plus, who doesn’t love a good movie about the ocean? Overall, I would definitely recommend Blueback to anyone looking for a heartfelt and visually stunning film.
Production Company(ies)
Hybrid, Nickelodeon Productions
Distributor
Amor Media
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2023
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 42m
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Language(s):English
ALL CAST, AUSPICES, AND BELOW THE LINE
SEASON 5 (2022-2023)
SEASON 4 (2022-2023)
SEASON 3 (2021-2022)
SEASON 2 (2019-2020)
SEASON 1 (2019-2020)
DEVELOPMENT (2020-2021)
DEVELOPMENT (2019-2020)
DEVELOPMENT (2018-2019) -
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 3, 2023 Limited
Genre(s)
Kids & family/Drama
Keyword(s)
Blueback, PG, Kids & Family, Drama, Adventure, Mia Wasikowska, Radha Mitchell, Eric Bana, directed by Robert Connolly, written by Robert Connolly, produced by Robert Connolly, James Grandison, Liz Kearney, Amor Media, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Dennis Harvey, David Stratton, Luke Buckmaster, Sandra Hall, Brian Tallerico, Rachel Wagner, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Louisa Moore, Nadia Dalimonte, Sarah Ward, genre, marine biologist, coral reefs, elderly mother, stroke, seaside hometown, childhood years, ocean, environmentalism, blue groper, mother-daughter relationship, Tim Winton, novella, Ningaloo Reef, sea creatures, conservation, below-the-sea imagery, loss, change, young adult, future
Worldwide gross: $1,661,860
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,600,179
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,470
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 174,502
US/Canada gross: –
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,500,000
Production budget ranking: 1,906
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,346,250
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$2,246,071
ROI to date (est.): -58%
ROI ranking: 1,733
Radha Mitchell – Dora
Ilsa Fogg – Teen Abby
Ariel Donoghue – Young Abby
Liz Alexander – Older Dora
Clarence Ryan – Briggs
Robert Connolly – Director, Writer, Producer
James Grandison – Producer
Liz Kearney – Producer
Nick Meyers – Editor
Director(s)
Robert Connolly
Writer(s)
Robert Connolly, Robert Connolly
Producer(s)
Robert Connolly, James Grandison, Liz Kearney
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (20) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (16) | Rotten (4)
It all goes down easily, with editor Nick Meyers’ pace never growing slack despite a general laid-back vibe.
January 22, 2023
Dennis Harvey
Variety
TOP CRITIC
An exceptional cast brings this very beautiful and ultimately moving film vividly to life.
January 6, 2023 | Rating: 4/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
[A] wholesome and modestly affecting coming-of-age story…
December 30, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Luke Buckmaster
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
A love letter to Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef and the sea creatures that make their home there.
December 30, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Against [its] gorgeous backdrop, Connolly sets a coming-of-age tale that’s downright silly, never finding a tone that does anything beyond manipulation.
September 21, 2022
Brian Tallerico
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
The water imagery and main relationships worked enough for me to recommend.
February 5, 2023 | Rating: 6/10
Rachel Wagner
rachelsreviews.net
Every frame is gorgeously captured, rendering the coastal wonders—above and below the surface—in stunning colors.
January 29, 2023 | Rating: 3/4
Christopher Llewellyn Reed
Film Festival Today
A bland coming-of-age film that’s overly preachy about ocean conservation.
January 27, 2023
Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots
While admirable in its environmental urgency and generational telling of a personal story, “Blueback” fades from memory as a mostly forgettable experience.
January 26, 2023 | Rating: 6/10
Nadia Dalimonte
Next Best Picture
An unflinchingly earnest movie about valuing the natural world and stopping its decimation, as told with visual splendour that helps make its point through spectacular below-the-sea imagery, yet struggling with nuance.
January 26, 2023
Sarah Ward
Concrete Playground
While no one can question the heart of Blueback, the final film does leave some to be desired.
January 21, 2023
Carson Timar
Clapper
Connolly… has crafted a beautiful film about loss and change, and that period in a young adult’s life where they are on the precipice of their future and it doesn’t have to entirely revolve around sex or popularity.
January 10, 2023
Glenn Dunks
Glenn Dunks…
Plot
Marine biologist Abby rushes back to her seaside hometown to care for her elderly mother Dora after receiving news of her stroke, and recalls her childhood years spent living in concert with the ocean and her mother’s efforts to protect the bay in Blueback.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Mia Wasikowska stars as Abby in Blueback.
Robert-Connolly.jpg
