TheRealYuma
Since: Feb, 2014
10/26/2015 00:00:00
This, "it's not fair to expect Pixar to churn out masterpieces every time they make a movie." It's like I say, Brave and Cars 2 (as those seem to be commonly held as acceptable targets) are only bad by the standards that the fanbase gives Pixar.
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Mike and Sully are Schooled in Pixar's New Film
I'll say this first: Monsters University is no mind-blower like some of Pixar's other films (ie, Up, WALL-E, the Toy Story trilogy), but that does not mean it's not a good movie. Then again I've never seen a Pixar film that I didn't like (at worst, I think of Cars and Cars 2 as fine and fun if somewhat forgettable). Besides, as a film company who has the regular ups and downs, it's not fair to expect Pixar to churn out masterpieces every time they make a movie. Just good movies at least. And that is what MU is, a good light film that keeps the canon from its predecessor Monsters Inc intact if not expand on it and is especially relevant to anyone who is in college or has been to college. Mike and Sully's troubles in school for instance hit uncomfortably close to my own experiences in college as I'm sure they would for many others.
I liked that they didn't saddle Randall with some lame Freudian Excuse in this film. From the looks of it, Randall has always been something of a jerk (ie, he wants friends but only if they're cool); he just needed a little push towards his real Start Of Darkness, and that push only shows how petty he really is. I also like that I was wrong about Dean Hardscrabble being the Big Bad. In MI I never saw it coming that Waternoose was the real Big Bad and not Randall, but with Hardscrabble the opposite happened. In fact, I don't think there ever was a real Big Bad here (unless you consider the Roar Omega Roar fraternity, but all they did was bully and antagonize our heroes).
Apart from the whole "monster" concept, the story mirrors real life, and I like seeing that in a movie. The message delivered is encouraging while staying realistic and does not offer false hope. Plus, it shows us just how BadAss Mike and Sully really are when you put together their exploits in this film and the first film. The stuff of memoirs!
The short presented before the film, "The Blue Umbrella" is wonderful too. The concept is not new, but the story is sweet and simple, and the animation impressive. Say what you will about the feature, but you will never be disappointed by Pixar's shorts.
Anyway, you can either see this in theaters or wait for it to come out on DVD. Overall, I give it 4 out of 5.