Film Review & Editorial- "Monsters University"
Monsters University
Directed By Dan Scanlon
Starring Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski, John Goodman as James P. "Sulley" Sullivan, Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble, Steve Buscemi as Randall Boggs
There's been an ongoing debate among the film-viewing community, that Pixar has lost it's touch. Cars 2 ended the studio's spotless record, and Brave, despite winning the Golden Globe and Academy Award, had a lukewarm reception. Now, with Finding Dory set for 2016, and rumors of a Toy Story 4 popping up every now and then, everyone's ready to say that Pixar has run out of originality and finally gotten the sequel bug.
So with all that in everyone's minds, and the fact that it was a prequel to one of Pixar's original classics, Monsters University was released this June. Set years before Monsters Inc, young Mike Wazowski (Crystal) heads off to attend the titular university, with big dreams of becoming a great scarer. He soon finds a rival in classmate (and future best friend) James P. Sullivan, or Sulley (Goodman). While Mike is hard-worker, Sulley is a slacker, and has had everything handed to him in life.
Their rivalry takes a turn for the worse, when it gets them kicked out of the school's scaring program. Then, when the annual greek-life Scare Games comes along, Mike and Sulley attempt to put aside their differences and team up with the misfit fraternity Oozma Kappa to enter the games. The frightening, headstrong Dean Hardscrabble (Mirren) allows them to enter, on the condition of if they lose, they leave Monsters University.
So that's the plot. I'll be honest, it's not that original. It's no different than any other story we've seen in other college films, from Revenge of The Nerds to every college film that has come after it and before Monsters University. The Oozma Kappa members don't offer too much. There were five of them and I enjoyed two of them for the most part. It's not what we've come to expect from Pixar, it's a predictable film, but it's still a very enjoyable film.
Why? Because of the characters. For most of us, these are characters we love and have grown up with, and you enjoy seeing them on screen again, and putting these characters in these scenarios is enjoyable to watch. It's a very funny film too. There are a lot of laughs, with nods to Monsters Inc that can bring a smile to any fan's face.
The voice cast is great. Billy Crystal and John Goodman are again fantastic as Mike and Sulley, and Steve Buscemi return as Randall is fun to watch too. New additions like Helen Mirren as the Dean, Peter Sohn & Charlie Day as Oozma Kappa members in particular are a joy to watch. Nathan Fillion as fraternity present Johnny Worthington is cool to watch, just because he's Nathan Fillion. Even John Krasinski is a joy in the little cameo he makes in the beginning as a Monsters Inc employee.
At the end of the day, I still love Monsters Inc more, it remains not only one of my favorite Pixar films, but one of my favorite films in general. That being said, I still really did enjoy Monsters University. From that, you can probably guess my side of the Pixar debate is no, they haven't lost their touch.
No I did not enjoy Cars 2. As a fan of the films from Disney Animation in the nineties, I thought Brave was a beautiful film. Maybe if it was released back in the nineties it would have been more successful.
Monsters University, it's no Up or Toy Story 3, but it's another solid entry in their filmography.
Perhaps the general audience in recent years has come to expect Pixar to tackle serious issues and make us cry like they have in Up, Toy Story 3, and Wall-E. Perhaps the general audience isn't responding to the last few Pixar films, because they're not what we expect them to do. Here is my counter argument. Pixar isn't a studio that makes films people expect them to make. Pixar is a studio that makes films they want to make.
Pixar is a studio that allows filmmakers to tell the stories they want to tell, which is rare in an industry that constantly demands filmmakers go for "marketable and profitable", and I applaud them for that. It's why I, why most people have fallen in love with them. I mean, let's be honest, do you really think a film like Up, Wall-E, or even Ratatouille could have, would have been made at another studio? Monsters University, sure, has a familiar story but it has the essence of Pixar. The ending in particular, which sends out a very strong yet unconventional moral to audiences young and old, that dreams sometimes don't go like we planned, is a bold and daring choice we expect from Pixar. Monsters University has the Pixar heart at the very center of its script, which is emulated in the friendship between Mike and Sulley.
Thirteen out of fourteen films Pixar has made have been generally well-recieved, and that includes Brave and Monsters University. So while I eagerly await the next Pixar film, I highly recommend Monsters University now. It may not blow your expectations out of the water, but I have no doubt you will leave the theater with a smile on your face.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Film Review- "Despicable Me 2"
Despicable Me 2
Directed By Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud
Starring Steve Carell as Gru, Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde, Benjamin Bratt as El Macho
It's hard to make a good sequel. It seems even harder to make an animated sequel. When I first walked into the theater to see the original Despicable Me, my expectations weren't that high. The story seemed thin, and it didn't seem too funny. But then, you guessed it, I was very surprised at what I saw.
Despicable Me has a simple story, but a big heart. It's well written, it's comical, and has a stellar voice cast. At the time it was a rarity of an animated film. From Illumination Entertainment, a new company entering an industry heavily dominated by Pixar and Dreamworks, Despicable Me ended up becoming something of a surprise hit. So what's the sequel like?
Well I entered Despicable Me 2 with lowered expectations, like I did with its predecessor. The original was such a special film, with a story that seemed like it was wrapped up pretty nicely before the credits rolled, how could the sequel prevail? What else is there to tell, and could an audience respond to it?
Yes, it can...on some levels. As a comedy, this sequel is funnier than the original. As an overall film, the original stands tall. This time around, retired super-villain and super-cool dad Gru (Carell) is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to track down a new villain, along with a new, enthusiastic agent named Lucy Wilde (Wiig). Yeah you know what happens between Gru and Lucy right? I mean. Come on now.
Well it seems pretty simple right? Not so much. The filmmakers seem almost confused as to what story they want to tell. Other elements of the plot include Gru dealing with little Agnes's concerns about a lack of a mother figure in her life, while also dealing with Margo's new boyfriend, and then there's Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) leaving Gru for a new, more evil job. The script's kind of a mess.
It's hard to understand what is moving the plot, and Gru's character forward. Is it his struggle to be a good father? His struggle to date Lucy and fill that void in his life? His struggle to relive or forget his days as a villain? All these are lightly touched on without any real development, and when we reach the ending (We all know what happens with Gru & Lucy right?), it feels forced and unearned, but at the same we as an audience come to expect it so we don't get bothered too much by it.
Clearly the filmmakers knew they struck gold with the Minions, and they dominate the film. They may even get more screen time than Gru. They do still manage to provide plenty of laughs, but they're almost used as a distraction for the flimsy script. Plus, while the Minions take up more screen time, Gru's daughters take up less screen time. They were the heart of the first film, and when we see less of them in this film, the film in turn has less heart.
But what works? Well as I've said, Despicable Me 2 is definitely the funnier of the two films, Minions and all. The voice cast is again great. Kirsten Wiig is perfect as Lucy Wilde. Benjamin Bratt is cool as the villain El Macho, although the character itself isn't that thrilling (Except for one little gag in a flashback).
So, if you're looking for a film with a lot of laughs, then I recommend Despicable Me 2. If you're looking for a sequel that matches the heart and writing of its predecessor, this isn't what you're going to get. As funny and as charming as it can be, the film just doesn't seem to know what story it wants to tell.
Directed By Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud
Starring Steve Carell as Gru, Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde, Benjamin Bratt as El Macho
It's hard to make a good sequel. It seems even harder to make an animated sequel. When I first walked into the theater to see the original Despicable Me, my expectations weren't that high. The story seemed thin, and it didn't seem too funny. But then, you guessed it, I was very surprised at what I saw.
Despicable Me has a simple story, but a big heart. It's well written, it's comical, and has a stellar voice cast. At the time it was a rarity of an animated film. From Illumination Entertainment, a new company entering an industry heavily dominated by Pixar and Dreamworks, Despicable Me ended up becoming something of a surprise hit. So what's the sequel like?
Well I entered Despicable Me 2 with lowered expectations, like I did with its predecessor. The original was such a special film, with a story that seemed like it was wrapped up pretty nicely before the credits rolled, how could the sequel prevail? What else is there to tell, and could an audience respond to it?
Yes, it can...on some levels. As a comedy, this sequel is funnier than the original. As an overall film, the original stands tall. This time around, retired super-villain and super-cool dad Gru (Carell) is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to track down a new villain, along with a new, enthusiastic agent named Lucy Wilde (Wiig). Yeah you know what happens between Gru and Lucy right? I mean. Come on now.
Well it seems pretty simple right? Not so much. The filmmakers seem almost confused as to what story they want to tell. Other elements of the plot include Gru dealing with little Agnes's concerns about a lack of a mother figure in her life, while also dealing with Margo's new boyfriend, and then there's Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) leaving Gru for a new, more evil job. The script's kind of a mess.
It's hard to understand what is moving the plot, and Gru's character forward. Is it his struggle to be a good father? His struggle to date Lucy and fill that void in his life? His struggle to relive or forget his days as a villain? All these are lightly touched on without any real development, and when we reach the ending (We all know what happens with Gru & Lucy right?), it feels forced and unearned, but at the same we as an audience come to expect it so we don't get bothered too much by it.
Clearly the filmmakers knew they struck gold with the Minions, and they dominate the film. They may even get more screen time than Gru. They do still manage to provide plenty of laughs, but they're almost used as a distraction for the flimsy script. Plus, while the Minions take up more screen time, Gru's daughters take up less screen time. They were the heart of the first film, and when we see less of them in this film, the film in turn has less heart.
But what works? Well as I've said, Despicable Me 2 is definitely the funnier of the two films, Minions and all. The voice cast is again great. Kirsten Wiig is perfect as Lucy Wilde. Benjamin Bratt is cool as the villain El Macho, although the character itself isn't that thrilling (Except for one little gag in a flashback).
So, if you're looking for a film with a lot of laughs, then I recommend Despicable Me 2. If you're looking for a sequel that matches the heart and writing of its predecessor, this isn't what you're going to get. As funny and as charming as it can be, the film just doesn't seem to know what story it wants to tell.
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