In this curiously muted children's fantasy movie, twelve-year-old Bea develops the ability to see everyone's Imaginary Friends (IFs), joining a mission to reunite lost and forgotten IFs with their human children before they disappear. The central conceit of seeing the Imaginary Friends in everyday real-life scenarios is quite sweet and realised on-screen effectively, but the film feels underpowered and lethargic to watch overall. In spite of an UP!-style heartstring-pulling opening, very little happens in the first forty-five minutes, with a brief mid-point sojourn into a wonderful FX sequence that then leaves the rest of the film to grind away to its conclusion that was blindingly obvious way back earlier - even Ryan Reynolds is subdued here. The film does benefit from a gorgeous Michael Giacchino score, and Krasinski's direction is once again confident and precise. Apart from a couple of nods to the power of memory and imagination, the story oddly offers very little with which to really engage, until - unexpectedly - the reunions montage at the very end.
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