Monsters University review

Pixar made a smart move by shifting the Monsters Inc. franchise back to the good ol’ school past instead of into the future for their second film, Monsters University, especially after that huge gap of years from the last movie. That being said, it is interesting how a prequel can often function very much like a sequel does – with somewhat different dynamics, i.e. information from the previous movie will feed your knowledge of the next one. In the case of a sequel, it will already establish the characters; in the case of a prequel, it will already establish the characters and the ultimate ending of the movie.

Hence, I would tell a first time viewer of the Monsters Inc. franchise to watch Monsters University first. Why? ‘Cause you will bridge that gap of slight dissatisfaction that Monsters Inc. fans may face when heading back to the past, i.e. there is no Boo. Having no knowledge about her and her existence will probably make Monsters University a lot more lighthearted and fun. 

Because, after all, that is what Monsters University sets out to be as a whole, a coming-to-age story told from the perspective of one Mike Wazowski (his very own bildungsroman if you will). There is no lack of cute factor from this movie, for those worried about the gaping hole that needs to be filled from the lack of cuteness Boo supplies. Mike Wazowski as a kid and all the monster children in the beginning of the film will definitely make you ‘aww’.

Mike’s own huge ambition sets the premise of the film’s storyline: his determination to go to Monsters University and graduate (with honors) as the best scarer of his generation. The obvious problem being that he is not scary in the least.

While watching the film, you can find a number of relevant points any freshman in college may have to battle with. The overwhelming feeling of being in your first class in college and, sometimes, like in the case of Mike, a realisation that you may want a particular dream career, but at the end of the day, the industry may not want you.

So, if you’re planning to watch Monsters University, then by all means do. If you expect something beyond epic, you will be disappointed. If you expect some lighthearted collegian fun and comedy with sprinkles of warmth and heart, then you will not, ’cause Pixar always delivers in that department.

For those being dragged along to see it by their girlfriend or younger cousins or maybe just by your childlike curiosity or boredom, then here are two things that will make you a little less disgruntled. 1. the Pixar short in the beginning, The Blue Umbrella and 2. the potential to spot one of the dozen of easter eggs that Pixar drops into their films (if you’ve already watched the film and want a rundown of what they are Business Insider has a good list of some of them).

As for me, someone who grew up watching Monsters Inc. when I was eleven countless times, immersing myself back into the monster world was escapism at its best. Sometimes you need to separate yourself from being a critic and watch a movie for what the producers and directors intend for it to be: entertaining.

Till next time,

cumuloq ❤

 

 

trapped in the cell-uloid: pixar films

so last week i did dreamworks and this week i’m going to move on to pixar! it’s safe to say i’ve watched all the pixar movies except one, which is cars 2. ’cause i was honestly never interested in the concept of cars in the first place. but after i watched cars on tv, i really did love it, i have to admit. maybe ’cause pixar has a way of directly injecting feels into your bloodstream and a river into your tear ducts. pixar has manufactured the perfect formula for the meaning of love as a family, as friends, as innocent boy and girl crushes and so forth. they must have it quilted on a baby blanket in a hidden facility. so here are my favourite pixar films (cue an emotionally sad song from toy story in there):

1. Toy Story 3

who would have known that toys make movies behind your back? or an entire franchise too? (yes, i know, you’ve heard that one before.) i really love the toy story movies. i think i’ve watch toy story 2 more than a dozen times. i used to love jessie the cowgirl and her story on how her owner grew out of her and she was left, abandoned. but toy story 3 turns that horrible side-story into the main plot and situation of toy story 3. and, if i had not been prepared by gifs on tumblr, i swear i would have bawled my eyes out during the ending. i think we all know the feeling of having to give up the toys we love. it’s a weird feeling of growing out of them. i remember the time i told my parents i grew out of my barbie dolls and i put them in a box and had them taken away to the salvation army. toy story 3 makes me feel oddly guilty for those things.

2. Finding Nemo

now, if it wasn’t bad enough, empathising with toys, pixar adds fish into the mix. to be honest, i hate fish. i hate fish in a tank or on a plate or basically anywhere – except maybe underwater world. i have a natural itch to experiment with them and do all sorts of things that shall not be mentioned to see whether they can live through the torture. i know, i’m even worse than darla, the dentist’s niece. but when i watch this show, i’m willing to set that hatred aside. ’cause who can get mad at dory and her “just keep swimming” attitude? once again, i think this is one of the shows i’ve watched more than a dozen times.

3. Monsters Inc.

boo, mike and sulley just make an amazing trio here. and the comedy is golden. i’m honestly scared of the new one coming out ’cause i have a really strong feeling that it’ll fail to meet my monster inc expectations. another one that i’ve watched more than a dozen times.

4. Wall-E

my brother honestly teases me for this one, ’cause i really did cry during wall-e. i mean, come on! look at those robot eyes that move up and down. one of the best love stories has to be between wall-e and eve. but what i love most of all about it is that their names are just the model of their robots. there are literally hundreds of wall-es and eves out there – but they found each other! it also suggests that a relationship like that can be found for audiences too ’cause it’s just a copy of a thousand other sacrificing and adorable relationships out there. plus, it’s not everyday that you get the message of ‘save and preserve the earth’ in movies. the last one i saw was probably from the lorax. but i personally don’t think that the message was as significant as that of wall-e.

5. Up

okay, the entire story of up was not that memorable. the reason why it is so special as a pixar film, i think many will agree with me, is the few short minutes of carl and ellie’s life in the very beginning. it’s a story of loss and acceptance. i think pixar conveyed it well through the symbol of ellie(‘s ghost) as a house. carl drags this burden and regret around with him throughout the entire film, often more than not it hinders him from being able to fully move on (literally and figuratively) in his journey. the scene where he finally throws away the furniture from the house, where he is finally able to let go of some of his burden, is he able to find that there are people like russell, dug and kevin who wanted to get to know him and be friends with him all along. it’s more like the little bits like these in the film, like balloons, carried the plot of the film along.

so those are my favourite pixar films! although i do believe that pixar has many more that are worth mentioning, including their shorts like the well-known ‘for the birds’. i think on any day indoors it’s a great idea to have a small pixar marathon (hopefully with the films listed above) and lots of popcorn and chips. you’ll get diabetes in no time, trust me. 🙂

now, i’m off to watch ‘the story of luke’.

till next time,cumuloq ❤