Nimona (film)

Nimona is a 2023 Annapurna and Blue Sky film, based on the graphic novel of the same name. It features Chloe Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, and Eugene Lee Yang.

In a steampunk city with knights, smartphones and streaming, a queen prepares to knight a commoner, Ballister Boldheart. Just as the queen knights Ballister, his sword shoots out a laser and kills her. Now Ballister is on the run, framed for the queen's death. He is determined to find the real assassin.

Next thing you know, a teenager named Nimona shows up at his "evil lair". She wants to be his sidekick. Ballister refuses, only to find out Nimona is ready to bail him out of any situation and become a new friend.


 * Adaptational Badass: Ambrosius Goldenloin in the graphic novel is an Idiot Hero and willing pawn of the Institute, because he believes in its cause. Here, he is a Reasonable Authority Figure who will hunt down and arrest his boyfriend but is willing to see reason when Ballister and Nimona post an Engineered Public Confession that shows the Director as the true criminal. In fact, the only graphic novel-like moment when Goldenloin confronts the Director
 * Adaptational Heroism:
 * Nimona doesn't have as high a body count in this movie. And in her backstory,
 * Goldenloin is truly committed to justice, unlike in the graphic novel where the fear of the Institute killing Ballister or demoting him kept him in line. He is a Reasonable Authority Figure that is willing to
 * The Institute itself Indeed, Nimona reveals that it was founded out of a misguided fear of
 * Adaptational Weakling: While Ballister is still a formidable fighter and Guile Hero, he still makes rookie mistakes owing to his insistence that he is "not a bad guy" or a villain. He freaks out despite promising not to when Nimona breaks out her shapeshifting powers, while in the comics he accepted it matter-of-factly and strategized from the start to break people's faith in the Institute. Indeed, in the comics he is the one advocating to destroy the Institute and its power over the kingdom.
 * Disproportionate Retribution: Why the Director had the Queen killed and framed Ballister for it; she says that the Queen knighting a commoner goes against precedent and the regimented life of the city. The Queen would threaten their safety with the wall.
 * Easily Forgiven: Nimona lampshades that Ballister took it well how his boyfriend cut off his arm. Ballister explains that knights are trained to remove limbs, and Goldenloin was only doing his job when everyone thought Ballister killed the queen. Goldenloin himself is freaked out and mortified on the inside about what he did, and doesn't understand why Ballister spares him during their fight.
 * Not Helping Your Case: Ballister keeps insisting that he is not a bad guy and was framed. Yet his lair is shrouded in darkness, and he has a String Theory wall. When going to find the squire, he steals a car while telling the saleswoman that he's innocent, rams the Squire, and flies off as the knights shoot. Nimona even points out he "makes a pretty good bad guy".
 * Out-of-Character Moment: Nimona reveals she can impersonate people by becoming Ballister's doppelganger and leading the guards on a Wild Goose Chase during an infiltration to find the Squire. During her performance, she picks up a busker's saxophone and starts playing freestyle jazz. Goldenloin sees this on video footage and says something is wrong, because Ballister hates freestyle jazz and sees the real Ballister sneaking on the subway.
 * Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Implied in the graphic novel and confirmed here:
 * Unwitting Instigator of Doom:
 * Sweet Gloreth did mean well, but
 * Todd