Director: Dan Scanlon
Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi
Rating: U/ G
I have a strong feeling that my nostalgia for Monsters Inc. is going to bias this review, but I’ll say it anyway, I loved this film! There, I said it.
Monsters University is the prequel to Monsters Inc. and follows Mike and Sully before they became the scare duo of the original film, back to their “collage” years. Mike and Sully are initially enemies, due to Sully’s lazy attitude, and Mike’s lack of scariness. After nearly getting expelled, they are forced to compete in the “Scare Games” together, where they bond and discover what a great team they are.
Monsters University is the prequel to Monsters Inc. and follows Mike and Sully before they became the scare duo of the original film, back to their “collage” years. Mike and Sully are initially enemies, due to Sully’s lazy attitude, and Mike’s lack of scariness. After nearly getting expelled, they are forced to compete in the “Scare Games” together, where they bond and discover what a great team they are.
Mike and Sully are as
great as they were in the original. They contrasted each other and reflected a
little bit of everyone. Pixar really tapped into everyone’s love of the
underdog, and the supporting cast of Oozma Kappa was hilarious. Helen Mirren’s
first voice acting role deserves a mention, as she was definitely the scariest
monster of them all.
It’s very predictable
up till the end, and for once I don’t care. Because Monsters University has all the charm, character, and wit of the
original. It reminded me off my childhood love of Pixar, and the universality
of its stories. Or maybe it has a little to do with me going to university this
year… Was it the best Pixar film ever made? No. But Pixar’s bar is pretty high.
The entertainment for adults as well as children was showcased through the
film, with plithy remarks that were sure to skim over children’s heads but into
adult mind. Most importantly, it tugged at your heart-strings. I genuinely
cared about all the characters, and although I could guess at the ending, it
didn’t make the journey any less enjoyable.
What I liked the most
about the story was the message it sent out. In a society where a university
degree seems like everything, and the attitude of “ you can do whatever you
want to”, Monsters University took a
daring stance on it. Despite studying his hardest, Mike was not cut out to be a
scarer like he dreamed off, but he found out that there was something he was
better at instead. The ending also showed that you don’t need a university
degree to achieve what you want, but hard work and effort.
As for the animation?
Pixar is upping its game with each production. Fur was a breakthrough back in
2001, but now the backgrounds are starting to look more like film clips from
the real world. For me, the real testament of Pixar’s true ability was in the
six-minute short film The Blue Umbrella before
the main film, which not only showcased Pixar’s astonishing skills (for the
first minute I honestly thought there was real world shots), but its ability to
make you feel things you never thought you could.
Pixar may not be quite
back to its former glory, but this film is a step closer to it, and gives me
faith for Finding Dory, its next
sequel.
Sum It Up: Funny
and sincere, Pixar’s film will appeal to children, older original watchers of Monsters Inc. and adults. So really,
it’s just for everyone.
Rating: 9/10
I remember being pretty little when Monsters Inc. first came out and absolutely loving it. I will definitely be needing to see this new movie.(:
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
Thanks Cassie! And it does not disappoint if you love the original :)
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