Saw Pixar's latest offering, "Up" yesterday afternoon with the family. It's somewhat of a departure from their standard fare of talking toys, anthropomorphic arthropods, or humanistic Hudsons in that the main characters are, well, average humans. It's also darker than any previous Pixar film that I can recall, with serious, real-life issues like death, absentee parents, and the plight of the elderly being showcased rather than car races, cartoonish supervillians, or ruffian Orthopterae.
Mrs. G. and I talked about the movie after the kids went to bed, and agreed that it was a more "heavy" offering than we had been expecting. When Pixar comes out with a new movie, odds are that the protagonist will face wild odds, outlandish characters, and seemingly insurmountable challenges before they prevail. Oh, wait, this does happen in Up. However, it usually happens without couples being infertile, spouses dying, or parents getting divorced. This ain't Toy Story 2 here.
It also takes a pretty hefty helping of willing suspension of disbelief. From the house suspended by tens of thousands of latex balloons attached to the fireplace (!?!?!) to the 1930s explorer still alive and active some 70 years later, there's plenty of parts that require one to disengage the ol' frontal lobe. The beginning scenes that develop the character of Carl are excellent, detailing how the best laid plans often get derailed by, well, life. It's this incongruity - how the movie had me nodding my head in agreement in the first half hour only to have me shaking my head later - that is the most jarring.
Don't get me wrong - I liked Up quite a bit. It's a very good movie, even by the impossibly high standards against which all Pixar movies are gauged. The characters are likable, humorous, and complex; the action is sufficiently complicated and hilarious to engage even the most ADHD of kids (like mine, who watched Up from start to finish without moving off the couch!); and there's enough "grown-up" stuff to keep mom & dad watching as well. John Ratzenberger makes his trademark appearance in the movie, although I'll refrain from mentioning the scene so as not to spoil it for those who want to play along at home.
Overall, an enthusiastic thumbs up from the G. family for Pixar's Up!
That is all.
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3 comments:
Hmmm. I wasn't nearly as high on it as you are. I'll agree that the beginning was excellent, but I found myself really not caring about what turned out to be the main goal of the movie.
Doug, however, was AWESOME. I'd be curious to see your ranking of Pixar flicks from best to worst?
Remember, Ellie said that Paradise Falls was "a land lost in time". ;)
I liked this movie very much..This movie is very interesting ..i downloaded this movie from the internet...you can also watch up movie from the internet....
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