Movie Review: Monsters University
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I'm really late for this. But I've been busy for the past month...kinda. Anyways, here's the review. This is a prequel to the acclaimed "Monsters, Inc." Many people were pissed that it wasn't a sequel since the idea of a Boo and Sullivan relationship was tantalizing and they wanted resolution to Sullivan's torment. But, it's Pixar. Ya' know, the company that made "Cars 2" even though they said they'd only make a sequel if it was worth making.
First off, I want to say that we can say that we are past the amazing period of time where Pixar could do no wrong. People feared that Cars would start Pixar's digressions from their masterpieces, but then Pixar made Wall-e, Up, and Toy Story 3 which were some of Pixar's best. Then Cars 2 came and everyone hated it. Brave came which was more pretty good, but not brilliant. Because I watched this movie this late, I knew the audience reaction was generally favorable but they didn't consider this Pixar's best. Let it be known that I am a Pixar fanboy to the death. Every time I hear of Dreamworks movies, I just say "Pixar wafflebutt" and ignore it. Like Turbo, that's just Cars with snails. But I was wary since I never enjoyed high school or college comedies that much.
Like Equestria Girls, it surprised me a lot. In the original, Mike Wazowski was irritating since all he did was complain to Sully and mope about his girlfriend. Mike has an elaborate backstory which makes you pity him though in the second half he reverts back to his indulgent self. He's a nerd who can't scare. And he knows it. He knows deep down that there's no way he's going to scare kids yet it takes a long time for him to come to accept it. So he's the loner who wants to go to Monsters University, a prestigious academy. There, he diligently works hard as a result. Enter James Sullivan, your jock who is a jerk. Sully is a naturally scary person but doesn't study at all. There's a parallel between Sully and Mike which I won't spoil but results in memorable scenes that are genuinely emotional. All the other characters aren't fleshed out too much but their design is ingenious. Some of this results in nice puns.
The animation is gorgeous but you have to expect that today. Pixar isn't going to impress anyone anymore as they did with Toy Story. Now, movies like Wreck-it Ralph and Despicable Me have the same care applied. But Pixar's animation feels a bit more detailed. It's unfair to compare a teeming University with huge video game worlds, but that's my opinion. Every monster isn't cloned to fill crowds. Plus, Monsters University is such a detailed place. It feels like an actual place, which is a feat considering Pixar had only an hour and 42 minutes to portray this. I couldn't find the Pizza Planet Truck or A113 but I got the Luxo Jr. Ball.
The plot was kinda predictable since you've probably watched Monsters, Inc. But it still pulls plenty of punches and twists. Some scenes that I love are the Mike and Sully interactions. They are just so conflicting which makes their relationship develop in a convoluted way. But they do make a team in the end. The comedy is funny but some funny scenes are dragged out for a few seconds too long. Like the slug part. You guys know what I mean. That was only five or so seconds but it felt like forever.
In all, this is a Pixar film you don't want to miss. I think it's fabulous, almost up to par with Pixar's greatest but I'm just a diehard fanboy. I hope they can tap into that period again and I'm still optimistic since the "Inside Out" one looks intuitive. Monsters University is great for pure fun and shouldn't be missed by anyone.
Final Rating: 9/10
First off, I want to say that we can say that we are past the amazing period of time where Pixar could do no wrong. People feared that Cars would start Pixar's digressions from their masterpieces, but then Pixar made Wall-e, Up, and Toy Story 3 which were some of Pixar's best. Then Cars 2 came and everyone hated it. Brave came which was more pretty good, but not brilliant. Because I watched this movie this late, I knew the audience reaction was generally favorable but they didn't consider this Pixar's best. Let it be known that I am a Pixar fanboy to the death. Every time I hear of Dreamworks movies, I just say "Pixar wafflebutt" and ignore it. Like Turbo, that's just Cars with snails. But I was wary since I never enjoyed high school or college comedies that much.
Like Equestria Girls, it surprised me a lot. In the original, Mike Wazowski was irritating since all he did was complain to Sully and mope about his girlfriend. Mike has an elaborate backstory which makes you pity him though in the second half he reverts back to his indulgent self. He's a nerd who can't scare. And he knows it. He knows deep down that there's no way he's going to scare kids yet it takes a long time for him to come to accept it. So he's the loner who wants to go to Monsters University, a prestigious academy. There, he diligently works hard as a result. Enter James Sullivan, your jock who is a jerk. Sully is a naturally scary person but doesn't study at all. There's a parallel between Sully and Mike which I won't spoil but results in memorable scenes that are genuinely emotional. All the other characters aren't fleshed out too much but their design is ingenious. Some of this results in nice puns.
The animation is gorgeous but you have to expect that today. Pixar isn't going to impress anyone anymore as they did with Toy Story. Now, movies like Wreck-it Ralph and Despicable Me have the same care applied. But Pixar's animation feels a bit more detailed. It's unfair to compare a teeming University with huge video game worlds, but that's my opinion. Every monster isn't cloned to fill crowds. Plus, Monsters University is such a detailed place. It feels like an actual place, which is a feat considering Pixar had only an hour and 42 minutes to portray this. I couldn't find the Pizza Planet Truck or A113 but I got the Luxo Jr. Ball.
The plot was kinda predictable since you've probably watched Monsters, Inc. But it still pulls plenty of punches and twists. Some scenes that I love are the Mike and Sully interactions. They are just so conflicting which makes their relationship develop in a convoluted way. But they do make a team in the end. The comedy is funny but some funny scenes are dragged out for a few seconds too long. Like the slug part. You guys know what I mean. That was only five or so seconds but it felt like forever.
In all, this is a Pixar film you don't want to miss. I think it's fabulous, almost up to par with Pixar's greatest but I'm just a diehard fanboy. I hope they can tap into that period again and I'm still optimistic since the "Inside Out" one looks intuitive. Monsters University is great for pure fun and shouldn't be missed by anyone.
Final Rating: 9/10
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