Monday, January 3, 2011

Up above them all.


Up.

Where do I begin. Pixar has some great films, and they seem to be getting better and better. Wall-E was brilliant not just as a cartoon, but as a science fiction film in general. Up too has those qualities – a great adventure film with heart and a message. This is not just another made for money CGI film that only wants to deliver cheap laughs and pop culture references.

Up begins with an amazing montage showcasing the life of Carl and Ellie – a married couple who always wanted to visit South America. Even though they saved their money (in a penny jar) they just never got to go. Something always came up, car troubles, house troubles etc. the money they saved kept being used for other stuff. Eventually Ellie dies and Carl is left alone. He decides to finally go to South America and bring his house to Paradise Falls (where Ellie always wanted to live). I think this montage was so well done. Their entire lives were shown in a few minutes and you really got a sense for their love and it was very emotional.

The rest of the movie plays as a typical adventure picture – Carl meets a boy (Russell) who tags along and is a bit annoying to him, (but not to me or the audience cause it’s well written – take note Hollywood), but of course he grows to like him. The villain in the movie is actually very sympathetic for once. His whole life was devoted to discovering rare animals and then suddenly is proclaimed a fraud. So the rest of his life is spent in the pursuit of a bird that will prove he was never a fraud. Of course someone would eventually go insane – imagine your passion for something (art, writing, whatever) and then suddenly everyone says you suck – you’d be pissed too right!

Anyway, everything that happens in this movie is well thought out and well done. Obviously the effects are great, but it’s not even about that – the movie is excellent in all respects!

5/5

J-Man.

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