Sunday, June 23, 2013

Monsters University Review

Pixar is consistently called the best animation study out there. They brought us the Toy Story trilogy, Up, Wall-E, the Incredibles, and one of the first animated movies nominated for best animated picture, Monsters Inc. After 12 years we finally get a follow up to Monsters Inc in the form of a prequel. Monsters University is the origins story of Mike and Sully. The last couple Pixar movies haven't been up to the high standards they once had, Brave being alright and Cars 2 just not being good. So maybe revitalizing one of there classics will get them back on track. Monsters U takes place many years before the original with the characters we love attending scare school. Ever since Mike was a little kid he wanted to be a scarer. After making it into college he realizes it's a lot harder than he imagined. Mike is smart, he knows every tactic and trick in the book. The problem is that he just isn't scary. All of a sudden another monster comes on campus, Mike's future friend Sully. Sully is a legacy, and has more raw talent than just about anyone at the school. After Mike and Sully get in a little argument they become enemies, with Mike promising to out scare Sully. Before their big exam they start to have a scare off and accidentally destroy something very important to the Dean; as punishment she kicks them out of scare school and crushes their dreams. Suddenly Mike gets an idea, every year the college has a competition called the scare games where the fraternities and sororities compete in a scaring competition. Mike makes a deal with the Dean, if he wins he gets back in scaring school. She reluctantly agrees but promises to expel him if he loses. Seeing the opportunity Sully joins in, so Mike and Sully need to put their problems aside and work together in the hopes of salvaging their dreams. A couple years ago when it was released, Cars 2 really pissed me off. It was one of the most shameful cash grabs I had ever seen. Some guys from Pixar were at a meeting and one of them said, "let's make a sequel to our worst movie." And everyone just shook their heads yes. So that's what scared me going into Monsters U, fortunately this is actually a pretty good movie. Unlike Cars 2, it's obvious some real time and effort went into making this movie. But it's not without its problems. The plot is played out, the two enemies who have to come together to overcome an obstacle; we've seen that a million times. The movie also seems to be aimed more at kids than the original was. Pixar has the ability to make a kids movie that appeals to adults, Monsters U is clearly for kids. But there is one overwhelming problem with the movie that many have pointed out, it's not that funny. There are a couple scenes that will make you chuckle but nothing outstanding. Not all of Pixar's movies are hilarious, but they are a lot more touching than this one is. All in all Monsters U is good, not great. It is the best movie Pixar has done since Toy Story 3. It's a fun movie worth the watch if you're interested.

3.5/5 Stars

Bonus: The short at the begging of the movie entitled "The Blue Umbrella" is fantastic. I enjoyed it more than Monsters U, it's worth the price of admission on its own. It's easily a contender for best animated short at the Oscars. I'd tell you more but it will be more enjoyable if you go in not knowing what it will be about; but trust me, it's worth it.

4.5/5 Stars

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