Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (PG)
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Well, this got middling reviews and was a box office failure, but I liked it. (Almost, but not quite, enough to rate it three smileys. I was considering giving it an extra quarter smiley just for including a song by the Linda Lindas, but I didn't, so it's just two and three quarters smileys. But that's not bad.) There's a plot twist late in the movie that I saw coming all along, but I'm not sure how the movie could have ended differently.

There's this 15-year-old girl named Ruby Gillman, who lives near the ocean with her parents, Agatha (Toni Collette) and Arthur, and her little brother, Sam. But Ruby and Sam are forbidden from ever going in the ocean. Their parents have told them they're hiding from sea monsters that hunt krakens like them. Ever since Ruby was born, they've been blending in with human society, though it's pretty weird that they pass as human, because they really don't look it. They tell everyone they're from Canada, and people just accept that, eh? Ruby also has a trio of friends named Margot, Trevin, and the not-so-aptly-named Bliss. Ruby is trying to work up the courage to ask a boy named Connor to the upcoming prom, but before she can, he accidentally falls into the ocean, and she sort of jumps/falls in after him, to save him. But credit for the save is taken by a new girl at school named Chelsea Van Der Zee, who becomes instantly popular. Meanwhile, Ruby transforms into a giant sea monster, which totally freaks her out. She tries to hide, but her mother eventually finds her and calms her down, so she returns to normal.

When Agatha's brother, Brill, comes to visit, Ruby learns that her mother has been withholidng part of the truth from her, which angers Ruby. It turns out that the females in her family turn into giant krakens when they get too wet. (This is not true of the males in her family, though they do change a little bit, but stay the same size. It's also not true of females from other kraken families.) So she goes to visit her Grandmamah (Jane Fonda), who she learns is queen of the seven seas. She wants Ruby to become her successor, but Ruby just wants to live a normal life on land. Grandmamah also tells her about how a mermaid queen named Nerissa had once found the Trident of Oceanus and used it to try to overthrow her, but was stopped by Agatha, who hid the Trident. Later, Ruby finds out that Chelsea is a mermaid. She says she's Nerissa's daughter, but wants to find the Trident to prove that there can be peace between the krakens and the mermaids, who went into hiding after Nerissa's defeat. Ruby likes this idea, and decides to help her try to get the Trident. But first she needs training from Grandmamah (who she doesn't tell about Chelsea).

And I guess I don't want to spoil any more of the plot, except to say there's a fair bit of trouble for Ruby and her family, before arriving at a happy ending. And I liked most of the characters fairly well. I liked the overall concept of the movie, but the story was just... I dunno, a bit better than just "okay", maybe. It was good, but not great. But I definitely enjoyed the movie, and I think it's a shame it didn't do better at the box office.