Pixar has made many great animated films over the years. And Cars, sadly, is not one of them. It's one of those movies that I deem overrated. Even when I first saw it when I was like, 8 or 9, I thought it was pretty bad. So obviously, when I went back to rewatch it, I thought it was EVEN WORSE. But why? Why is it so bad?
(The spoilers are coming; skip to the end paragraph for a summary and final verdict)
Okay, I'll provide a small synopsis. Lightning McQueen is a famous hotshot car racer who has it all. And I literally mean he's a 'car racer'. I mean he's a car that races. Anyways, he ties in a race for the Piston Cup with two other competitors, and has to be driven (he's a car that's being driven. Like wut.) to the tiebreaker match. Unfortunately, his driver falls asleep on the road and Lightning rolls off the back of the car. He ends up in an area full of society's outcasts and people who don't even know who he is, and works to get himself back to the races. He soon develops second opinions, however, and grows attached to all of the... Interesting friends he meets there.
The whole thing is going wrong from the start. What kind of concept is this? I mean, Finding Nemo was about something that was actually supposed to be living. CARS DON'T LIVE. Okay, Toy Story is about toys. But they're mostly humanoid or animal-like, and they each have their own distinct personality (I'll get to that stuff in a bit). I get there are many people out there who love cars. Collecting cars, driving cars, whatever. But I don't think there's anyone who'd make a whole movie where the only things there are are cars. That is what would be defined as 'an unhealthy obsession'.
Concept aside, the plot is weak, and, more noticeably, overused. Think about it. Some super famous guy, due to some sort of event, ends up with the lower members of society and/or in a really unfortunate position, and has to build himself back up again. This story has been used, at least partially, by at least twenty movies (ahem Gladiator ahem). It's even been used backwards in some occasions (ahem Hercules ahem). It's old, and it's executed terribly. Okay, maybe that ending race bit where he saves that other car was okay. It actually made me kind of acknowledge his development through the story. However, it isn't enough to save the film.
All the characters aside from Lightning and Doc are blander than cardboard, and even then, they're kinda boring. Lightning McQueen is that typical arrogant hotshot that changes (not that much) by the end of the film. Sally is that girl with no personality whom the protagonist falls in love with. Doc Hudson is that cynical guy that hates everyone. Mater is that stereotypically annoying Southern sidekick that acts like he was dropped on his head (in this case, hood). And then all of the background characters have small (stupid) jokes here and there, but have little to no personality. Like, I know nothing about that yellow car with the Italian accent. Or that police car. Or that designer car with those elevating wheels. They're all so forgettable.
Not all about this film is nightmarishly lackluster. The animation is actually pretty good. The characters are all well drawn. They have that cute cartoonish realism that makes them visually appealing. The views of the rocky, mountainous landscape and the flat, sandy desert is quite breathtaking. The casting was actually kind of fitting, and the voice acting was actually borderline good. Except for Mater. God, I hate that voice.
In conclusion, this movie is pretty bad, especially for Pixar's high standards. The plot is weak and overused, the characters are bland, and the humor isn't even that clever. The movie itself lacks that magic that Pixar always has. However, the animation and voice acting is pretty good, but it isn't enough to save this movie from sinking into the pit. Maybe kids will like it, but I certainly don't.
FINAL VERDICT:
3/10
P.S. Leave comments for suggestions on what I should review next!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
First Review - Frozen
I felt that my first review should be of a film that is both relatively recent and popular. So I'll be reviewing Frozen.
(Note that there will be spoilers, so abstain from reading if you don't like that sort of thing. Skip to the bottom for my final verdict)
(Note that there will be spoilers, so abstain from reading if you don't like that sort of thing. Skip to the bottom for my final verdict)
At first, I was mixed on whether or not I should see it. There was a sea of favorable reviews, some comparing the film to the gold of the Disney Renaissance. On the other hand, I wasn't too sure if I'd like it. I thought it would be another drastically overrated movie. So that's why when I actually (and reluctantly) went to see Frozen, I had incredibly high expectations for it and made sure to be extra analytical during the movie.
And I will admit it lived up to those expectations and even surpassed them.
Here's the main synopsis. Two girls of royal descent, Anna and Elsa, grow up together with their family. However, Elsa has magical powers of ice, and ends up inadvertently injuring her little sister Anna with them. Anna is healed, but is left with no memories of the incident or of her powers, and Elsa is isolated from childhood because she needs to learn to control the powers. Many years pass, and we see it's Elsa's coronation. While it goes swimmingly at the beginning, things quickly go downhill when Anna angers Elsa and her powers are revealed in front of the whole kingdom. Elsa flees to the mountains while Anna goes to find her, and the movie goes from there.
I felt that this movie excelled in every department. The animation was fluid, the backgrounds were beautiful, the designs were superb, it felt great to see it on the big screen. The voice acting was wonderful as well, particularly Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad. The characters really came to life. They were all very well rounded individuals. Even some background characters had very defined personalities and made me laugh (that Swedish salesman though... Haha). I do feel that Anna started out, well, annoying and overly optimistic. She had some decent moments, but it wasn't until the middle of the film that she became a good character. In fairness, though, it does make the character development more pronounced (and did provide a contrast to Elsa), so I can't complain too much about it.
The music is stellar. Not kidding. The movie itself is very stage musical-esque (which is something I am fond of). The lyrics, expertly penned by Robert and Kirsten-Anderson Lopez, captured the very essence of the characters and the situations portrayed in the song. Ranging from light-hearted to melancholy, the music meticulously pinpoints all emotion. The film score was excellent as well. Overall, I would have to say that the music of the film stuck out to me the most. To this day, "Let It Go" has not left my head.
The story itself was great as well. It was full of nifty surprises and other neat details, and all of the main characters developed over the course of the story. I was captivated within the first ten minutes alone. I feel that the ending was wonderful. At first, I thought, "Oh gee, another generic Sleeping Beauty ending, there's gonna be a true love's kiss, every thing's gonna go back to normal, uggghhhh". But wouldn't you know it? Disney didn't do that FOR ONCE. It was not the true love's kiss this time, but rather was the sisterly bond between Elsa and Anna that brought Anna back to life. That's a genius idea! Why can't more Disney films break the mold and do something unique like Frozen did?
Granted, this film is not flawless. My two most prominent complaints come in the form of one of my favorite characters in the movie: Olaf.
Before you begin the hate mail, I said I enjoyed Olaf. He was a witty and adorable character, and his solo song was short and sweet. So what's my problem with him? For starters, he seems a bit too happy in very tense moments. And this tends to ruin it for me. Now I'm all for humor, but when it appears in the most inappropriate times, it's just really dumb. It's like Donna Noble in Doctor Who. In her first few episodes, she was exactly like this. She wouldn't care if her life was endangered by a fierce alien. She'd just be sassing everybody in her sight. And it got on my nerves.
My second problem was during the scene where Olaf and Anna were sitting in front of the fireplace. Olaf had come to comfort Anna and keep her warm, but soon gets fascinated by the fire. Apparently oblivious of Anna's warnings and protests, he insists on staying with Anna until help comes. He eventually acknowledges the fact he is melting, and states in a very heartfelt way that "some people are worth melting for". And just when he's about to melt... He says, "But not at this moment!" and dashes away from the fireplace. And it's like it never happened.
This I do not understand. His death would've been amplified because Olaf is an audience favorite and the emotional buildup leading up to that bit was overwhelming. If he died then and there, I'm pretty sure the audience would've been in tears. And DON'T SAY IT'S BECAUSE IT'S A DISNEY MOVIE. There have been plenty more deaths in Disney. Also, he could've been brought back to life at Elsa's leisure at the end, so everything would've ended up all sunshine and rainbows anyways. Seriously, that was just dumb.
But really, those were just two complaints out of the whole movie. What Frozen has more than makes up for it. Almost everything down to its icy core is painstakingly perfected, and I would more than highly recommend this for anyone.
FINAL VERDICT:
9.5/10
And I will admit it lived up to those expectations and even surpassed them.
Here's the main synopsis. Two girls of royal descent, Anna and Elsa, grow up together with their family. However, Elsa has magical powers of ice, and ends up inadvertently injuring her little sister Anna with them. Anna is healed, but is left with no memories of the incident or of her powers, and Elsa is isolated from childhood because she needs to learn to control the powers. Many years pass, and we see it's Elsa's coronation. While it goes swimmingly at the beginning, things quickly go downhill when Anna angers Elsa and her powers are revealed in front of the whole kingdom. Elsa flees to the mountains while Anna goes to find her, and the movie goes from there.
I felt that this movie excelled in every department. The animation was fluid, the backgrounds were beautiful, the designs were superb, it felt great to see it on the big screen. The voice acting was wonderful as well, particularly Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad. The characters really came to life. They were all very well rounded individuals. Even some background characters had very defined personalities and made me laugh (that Swedish salesman though... Haha). I do feel that Anna started out, well, annoying and overly optimistic. She had some decent moments, but it wasn't until the middle of the film that she became a good character. In fairness, though, it does make the character development more pronounced (and did provide a contrast to Elsa), so I can't complain too much about it.
The music is stellar. Not kidding. The movie itself is very stage musical-esque (which is something I am fond of). The lyrics, expertly penned by Robert and Kirsten-Anderson Lopez, captured the very essence of the characters and the situations portrayed in the song. Ranging from light-hearted to melancholy, the music meticulously pinpoints all emotion. The film score was excellent as well. Overall, I would have to say that the music of the film stuck out to me the most. To this day, "Let It Go" has not left my head.
The story itself was great as well. It was full of nifty surprises and other neat details, and all of the main characters developed over the course of the story. I was captivated within the first ten minutes alone. I feel that the ending was wonderful. At first, I thought, "Oh gee, another generic Sleeping Beauty ending, there's gonna be a true love's kiss, every thing's gonna go back to normal, uggghhhh". But wouldn't you know it? Disney didn't do that FOR ONCE. It was not the true love's kiss this time, but rather was the sisterly bond between Elsa and Anna that brought Anna back to life. That's a genius idea! Why can't more Disney films break the mold and do something unique like Frozen did?
Granted, this film is not flawless. My two most prominent complaints come in the form of one of my favorite characters in the movie: Olaf.
Before you begin the hate mail, I said I enjoyed Olaf. He was a witty and adorable character, and his solo song was short and sweet. So what's my problem with him? For starters, he seems a bit too happy in very tense moments. And this tends to ruin it for me. Now I'm all for humor, but when it appears in the most inappropriate times, it's just really dumb. It's like Donna Noble in Doctor Who. In her first few episodes, she was exactly like this. She wouldn't care if her life was endangered by a fierce alien. She'd just be sassing everybody in her sight. And it got on my nerves.
My second problem was during the scene where Olaf and Anna were sitting in front of the fireplace. Olaf had come to comfort Anna and keep her warm, but soon gets fascinated by the fire. Apparently oblivious of Anna's warnings and protests, he insists on staying with Anna until help comes. He eventually acknowledges the fact he is melting, and states in a very heartfelt way that "some people are worth melting for". And just when he's about to melt... He says, "But not at this moment!" and dashes away from the fireplace. And it's like it never happened.
This I do not understand. His death would've been amplified because Olaf is an audience favorite and the emotional buildup leading up to that bit was overwhelming. If he died then and there, I'm pretty sure the audience would've been in tears. And DON'T SAY IT'S BECAUSE IT'S A DISNEY MOVIE. There have been plenty more deaths in Disney. Also, he could've been brought back to life at Elsa's leisure at the end, so everything would've ended up all sunshine and rainbows anyways. Seriously, that was just dumb.
But really, those were just two complaints out of the whole movie. What Frozen has more than makes up for it. Almost everything down to its icy core is painstakingly perfected, and I would more than highly recommend this for anyone.
FINAL VERDICT:
9.5/10
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