Monsters University (G)
11/03/14 21:03 Filed in: 2013
Starring: Billy Crystal
June 2013
This review was originally tweeted in Real-time from the back row of a movie theater and appears @BackRoweReviews. Though efforts were made to tease rather than ruin this movie’s memorable lines and moments, some spoilers may exist in the following evaluation. The original tweets appear in black, while follow-up comments appear in red. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. All ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
Starry-eyed Mike on a field trip. A monster is created.
I sense trouble with Mile’s roommate.
Correction: Mike’s roommate…who seems a bit shifty.
Mike and Sulley meet.
A meet-cute of monstrous proportions. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
The dean is fittingly frightening.
What to do when dreams are dashed? Join OK.
Winners of the Scare Games get a Piston Cup?
The Games are the coolest part of the movie. The scene in the library is an instant classic.
Another field trip to the Big Leagues.
Don’s mustache is the Batman symbol.
A tip of the hat to the Caped Crusader by the Pixar artists?
Final analysis: doesn’t posses the unbridled creativity or emotional resonance of the original.
Nor the topical relevance of the original—the power shortages of the early 2000s.
First half is extremely gimmicky, but the plot settles in once the Games begin.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars.
Disney’s sequelitis is beginning to infect Pixar, which is a profound tragedy.
Still, when rival DreamWorks can only muster up Turbo, Pixar is in no danger of being dethroned.
This prequel idea seemed better suited for a straight-to-DVD release rather than a theatrical one. Remember the frenetic sequence inside the factory in the first film, where rows of doors on an assembly line sail by with characters jumping on and through them? Nothing in the sequel even comes close to that level of sheer exhilaration. True, there are a few memorable and heartwarming scenes and it’s mildly entertaining seeing younger versions of Mike and Sulley, but this is a mostly mediocre movie. With Cars 2 and now Monster’s University, Pixar’s quality has clearly suffered at the hands of it’s Disney benefactors who will milk a property until the cows come home rather than producing riskier, original material…you know, the kind of stories that made Pixar great in the first place. It was bound to happen, I suppose, but it’s still sad to see.