Well, it had to happen.
After adding each of Pixar’s last four films to my personal Hall of Fame, they finally put out a movie that will not be added to my collection. Now, before I go any further, let me assure you that this is NOT a negative review. It may only seem like that, given that once one encounters near-perfection, not once, not twice, but FOUR times straight, anything less will seem like a letdown. And Up is not a bad story, it’s actually quite good. Very good, even. It’s just not fantastic. Perhaps it’s the fact that the main characters just didn’t measure up. It’s tough for an elderly man and his rather rotund child sidekick to be as cool as a family of superheroes or a talking racecar, or as cute as a rat who wants to be a chef or a robot who falls in love. For that’s what Up is basically about. In the opening minutes, we meet the character of Carl Fredricksen, a bespectacled youth who wants to be an adventurer like his hero from the newsreels, Charles Muntz (even after said hero is discredited for producing the “fake” skeleton of a 12-foot-tall South American bird, and who vows to return one day with actual proof). He meets a girl named Ellie, who has a similar thirst for adventure. They marry, and though they are happy together, they never QUITE manage to have the explorer’s life they once craved. In the present, Ellie has just passed away and Carl (now in his 70’s and voiced by Edward Asner) is being forced to vacate his house and sent to a retirement home. Unwilling, he affixes thousands of balloons to his house, and floats it away to find adventure. Along for the ride is a precocious but unwelcome Wilderness Boy named Russell, who was on his porch during takeoff, seeking the last merit badge he needs (helping the elderly) to become a Senior Wilderness Adventurer… despite the fact that he’s never ACTUALLY been camping. A freak storm blows them to Carl’s desired destination in South America, where he meets his childhood hero (Christopher Plummer) - who is STILL tracking the enormous bird in order to save his reputation – and who has been living only with a brood of tracking dogs, who are able to talk thanks to devices on their collars. One of these dogs, a friendly (and simply adorable) outcast named Dug, is only too happy to help Carl and Russell. I won’t spoil any more of the film, because you should see it for yourselves. There are plenty of “awww” moments, and the story is uplifting enough (no pun intended). My main gripe is that there are simply one too many coincidences and/or plot contrivances present to keep the story from bogging down. (And I’m not talking about the notion that any number of balloons can lift a house… I can suspend disbelief for that. There are plenty of others, however, which I won’t go into.) All in all, it was enjoyable experience. It just wasn’t, for me, at the same level of exhilaration that I have experienced with nearly all of Pixar’s most recent offerings. 4 / 5 stars
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |