The new animated film Bilal: A New Breed of Hero is one of those films that looks terribly unoriginal and predictable at first glance. Especially when one views the film’s trailer, which unfortunately markets it as little more than a Saturday morning animated show that feels destined to bombard you with religious messages, regardless of whether you are amenable to them or not. But, something remarkable happens along the way, the film proves to be rather entertaining and not as “preachy” as the trailers promised. Sure, that element is still present—so, if that kind of thing really bothers you, then this probably isn’t the film for you—but the practice is not nearly as omnipresent as one might expect. In the end, Bilal: A New Breed of Hero turns out to be an entertaining and surprisingly energetic animated adventure.
What co-directors Khurram H. Alavi and Ayman Jamal have done very well with this film is to reign in a seemingly unwieldy script, one put together by no less than five different writers—including Alavi and Jamal themselves—into something that, although it may not be as fluid or clever as it might portend, or want, to be, does succeed in being an engaging tale of overcoming hardship and striving for and achieving greatness, which is pretty much the hallmark of any animated film you might want to share with your family.
In as much as such a film can belong to an actor, Bilal belongs to star Akinnouye-Agbaje (who previously gave life to Killer Croc in 2016’s Suicide Squad). His voice work here is indicative of what a talented actor can do with a kernel of an idea, turning it into something greater than it probably deserves to be. Similarly, Ian McShane delivers an appropriately sleazy villain in Umayya. The rest of the cast fades in and out of the film so quickly that there isn’t any time to really get to know anyone save for Bilal’s sister (though she isn’t featured nearly enough—then again, the film isn’t called Bilal and Ghufaira: The New Breed of Heroes).
While Bilal: A New Breed of Hero may not be the pinnacle of computer animation, nor is it the height of narrative storytelling, it is an engaging and entertaining animated feature that proves to be more rewarding of your time than you may think it would.
Mike Tyrkus
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