★★★

DreamWorks’ latest feature comes billed as John Hughes for kids but delivers Pixar for amnesiacs. That’s not to say the film is bad by any means. Heck, word vomit title aside, Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken even boasts bursts of fleeting brilliance. And yet, where it stumbles is in comparison to the better offerings it recalls. From Turning Red is plundered a somewhat clunky metaphor for puberty. From Luca comes the notion of sea monsters living on land and the down low. If all you can add is a bland pop soundtrack, why bother? It’s almost tragic to note that, owing to pandemic restrictions, Ruby Gillman will easily surpass its superior forebears’ stringent box office returns.