There is humor, too, mostly dry and situational. The boy’s opponents are not solely menacing; one might be preoccupied with his hair, another obsessed with counting, another with an unreachable high-five. These quirks keep the tone light and humanize conflict, underscoring that not every battle is existential — sometimes it’s awkward, sometimes it’s petty, sometimes it’s absurd.
“Extra quality” in the context of this film is not a marketing claim but an aesthetic promise delivered in craft choices. Production design is attentive: props glisten with fingerprints, clothing shows the honest wear of repeated movement, and every puddle seems deliberately placed. The costume palette favors washed blues and muted yellows that complement the water motifs. Practical effects dominate over CGI; when distortion occurs, it’s often in-camera through lenses, prisms, or physical refractions. The result is a tactile world that retains an immediacy many high-gloss productions sacrifice. There is humor, too, mostly dry and situational