Movie Review: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013)
I'm beginning to wonder if the magic that permeated the early Pixar films is beginning to run out. I mean, it's completely unreasonable to expect that every movie they do hits you in the feels every time. And yet, I think that that's the expectation that so many people have. And when you just make a movie that's "good" as oppose to "heart-tuggingly moving", it's not difficult to think that somehow Pixar has failed. Yet, this is far from the truth.
What we have with MONSTERS UNIVERSITY is a movie that is well done, enjoyable, and fun to watch. It's funny, with likable characters and has moments that makes your realize that the folks at Pixar are masters at their CG craft.
Sure, no one was asking for another MONSTERS, INC. movie... let alone a prequel to a film that so many people already found complete. But here we have a film that looks at the formative years of the partnership that was so enjoyable in the first film.
It's that partnership that is the crux of this story in MONSTER UNIVERSITY. Lacking a "Boo" character to build the emotion center around, the emotions for this story comes from the friendship that Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) have to develop. We know (from watching the first film) that they are great friends, but how did that friendship start? It's fun to watch Sully go from cocky, douche-y, arrogant jock-boy to the lovable monster we see in INC. Likewise, Mike is... well, surprisingly his character remains that same... and that's what's fun.
Typical of any Pixar film, there's a lot of inside references and jokes that, fans of any college-based movie, will probably appreciate and enjoy. Humor is broad enough that kids will laugh but adults will find that there's a lot of subtle humor in there too for their own enjoyment. All of that serves to make for a fun experience.
Performances were spot-on. Billy Crystal and John Goodman fall right back into their roles and do a fantastic job. The rest of the cast are also fun with no one particularly standing out over the rest. But there is a surprising number of fantastic voice actors in this one, including Helen Mirren, Steve Buscemi, Dave Foley, and Nathan Fillion to name a few.
Being a Pixar film, it's no surprise that the film is gorgeous to look at. The masters at Pixar have outdone themselves. The individual characters models are fantastic, especially when you see just how fluffy Sully is. It looks like almost every single hair is individually modeled. Textures are amazing. Scales, reflections, lighting... everything that you'd expect from folks that brought you BRAVE and TOY STORY. Special mention must be made for when the characters find themselves in the real world late in the movie. As beautiful as Monstropolis is, wait until you see what they do in the "real world". Pixar has moved CG to a completely different level! The "real world" that they've rendered looks almost photo-realistic... beyond anything that I've seen them, or anyone else, do. Don't believe me? Watch the short-film that precedes MONSTERS UNIVERSITY and you tell me if you can tell me where real word ends and CGI begins.
In the end, this is still a fun movie to watch. It's got the characters that you loved from the first film. It's got a fun story that is actually funny. And the animation is gorgeous that it's almost worth watching all on it's own. By the way, much like the previous Pixar films, this one was presented in 3D. And just like the previous Pixar films, Pixar tends to use 3D to give the impression of depth as oppose to going crazy with in-you-face 3D gags. Because of that, you can save yourself some money by watching the movie in regular 2D without fear of losing any of the effects. Regardless of which version you watch, know that it's still beautiful and you should watch it anyway.
FINAL GRADE: B+