This Australian animated feature from directors Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese is a hoot. Featuring garish graphics and heartfelt love songs, it spoofs loads of tropes, from space travel films to lesbian folk singers, to good effect.
The plot is that titular LSP Saira must rescue her ungrateful ex Kiki from the evil Maliens (great name). But to do this she needs to connect with the force of the labrys and that means overcoming her intense insecurity. It's quite cool to have an introverted lead lacking in confidence but the directors lean a bit too much into her whining and tears for my liking. It becomes quite wearing watching a character cry STREAMS of tears and it happens more than once. We get it--she is upset. Saira teams up with budding singer Willow and an unreconstructed sexist spaceship (yes, it talks... a lot) to fly to scary places and have adventures, blah, blah.
Where this works it's great, really funny and captivating. But it drags heavily at points and could have done with editing. Some of the musical numbers do not add much to the story and Saira's character arc is pretty clunky. The ending is a bit meh, as well.
But it's mightily inventive and the fact the main villain is actually Saira's inner voice is refreshing. A trip worth taking.
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