Luca, a young sea monster boy, swims around, looking for goatfish off the coast of Portorosso, a town in Italy. His parents won’t allow him near the surface as they deem humans as perilous.
One day, Luca befriends another boy and sea monster named Alberto. He also learns that sea monsters become humans once they are dry—and stay that way.
Alberto teaches Luca to walk, ride a bike, and other activities that humans do. However, Luca’s parents warn him that they might send him to live with his Uncle Ugo in the deep sea. So, Luca and Alberto escape to the land to hide, where they become humans.
They meet some new faces, such as a talented and fierce, but kind girl called Giulia. Yet, they also face trouble with a bully called Ercole, who is also a five-time champion of the Portorosso Cup, a major athletic event in that town.
Giulia allows Luca and Alberto to stay at her place—but her father hates sea monsters, and will do anything to hurt them. Meanwhile, Luca’s parents can’t find him. So, they search for him as much as possible, even to the point where they enter the land.
Despite how the trailer failed to excite me, the film ended up intriguing me a lot. It also shared similarities with The Little Mermaid, such as Luca’s mom and dad prohibiting him from going to the surface or near people. Unlike Ariel, though, Luca does not have to give up his voice. Plus, the plot differs.
It also has some flaws and unbelievable moments. For instance, Luca mastered walking and biking within seconds to minutes.
Yes, the story had to go on. But everyone knows that it can take months or even years to learn how to walk or ride a bicycle.
Another surprising aspect was how sea monsters became humans once they entered the land. Yet, there is no explanation behind this.
Speaking of which, I disliked when Luca’s parents pushed some random boy into the water, assuming that he was their son. The kid lost his ice cream and cried.
It’s not only cliched, but the child also would have said that he wasn’t Luca—nor would he know who Luca was.
Regardless of the imperfections, the movie had lots of perks. Those included Luca and Alberto’s friendship, the suspenseful moments where you hope for the best, the characters and how they developed, and the importance of teamwork.
I give Luca 5 out of 5 stars.