I was
REALLY looking forward to this one. You all have probably figured out by now
that I’m a bit of as sucker for Pixar. I… Ok, yes, it’s unprofessional but what
can I say. I’m a fan. I’m positively biased. That is not to say I wasn’t a tad
bit worried about Monsters University. I mean, come on, a prequel? It feels a
little bit like scratching the bottom of the barrel to me. There are absolutely
quillions of talented screenwriters out there, surely, if we wanted to revisit
Mike and Sullivan, our friendly duo from way back when, an imaginative “new development”
could be found. That being said, I simply had to check it out. I mean, it was a
rainy afternoon, I had nothing in particular to do, Pixar monsters seemed to me
the perfect thing to cheer me up. At the very least I could b.tch about them on
the blog later, which would definitely cheer me up.
Hence, here
we hurtle back through time and universes to see how the “dream team” of Mike
and Sullivan all began. I couldn’t help but giggle to realise they were taking
the whole prequel thing very seriously. Because we start tracking Mike at
around, if I’m not much mistaken, primary school. But no worries – it’s
completely relevant. It is at this early age that Mike decides he wants to be a
“scarer”. You know, the most prestigious and brave monsters around, who
ventured into the human world and collected “scream energy” to power the whole
world. Thing is, Mike looks a little too much like a tennis ball on legs to be
considered scary(at this particular point, he is a very small tennis ball on
legs with braces). So um, how can I put this… He is not considered to have the
most realistic aspirations in the world. That said, he works his socks off,
does not give in and lo and behold, he makes it into the prestigious “scare
programme” in Monsters University. Now, a lot of us know how going on to
university, moving away from the small town to follow your dreams may seem like
the end of all the problems we ever had – Mike definitely thinks so. And if the
worse comes to the worse, he has always been a swat, he has his trusty
textbooks to get him though… Right?
Ok, first
of all, all Pixar fans out there can heave a sigh of relief. It is everything a
Pixar movie always promises to be. Perfect accompaniment to a rainy, grey
afternoon, your favourite blankie and a touch too much chocolate. It’s a bright
burst of imagination full of good-natured adventure and humour, and tons of
laughs, delicately placed throughout the story. You’ll love it. You can take
your little one or younger sibling to see it with a clear conscience. Unless
you are categorically exhausted, you are very probably not going to fall asleep
watching this one (that being said, Mom actually fell asleep watching Star Wars…
Need I say more?).
Like I
said, this is classic Pixar. That being said, is it a Pixar classic? Hmm. I’m
not that sure. I mean yeah, sure, every film has a “underlying message”.
In this particular case there are
several. I especially applaud the open call to not necessarily rely on “book
learning” to achieve your dreams. There is also the very Hollywood trope of “disparate
characters coming together as a team” (and with Monsters as a template they
REALLY went wild on the disparate characters) and, just to counterbalance the
first point I mentioned, not relying on natural talent and working with it to
truly achieve your dreams. Now, I am not
saying films shouldn’t have such social messages. Especially since the target
audience is the younger generation. But, you know, quite apart from adults
watching it too, kids today are pretty damn smart. I think Monsters University
borders on the “public information film” fine line with this one. I don’t know,
maybe it’s me getting jaded, but it was all way too close to the surface for my
liking. Think, for example, of Up!. Now that was one heck of a film. Priceless
too. Yet with that famous opening sequence that has made grown men cry. With
that, the adults are just hooked. Lost love is such a common theme in a lot of
lives – if not necessarily by death – we end up rooting for him all the way
through the film. But when you strip away the finery it’s actually the story of
a hardened, jaded character “rediscovering life”. I mean, step back and squint
a little it could actually be A Christmas Tale. I mean theme-wise. Clearly
there were no ghosts in Up!, Yet, like I
said, you don’t notice it at all unless if you think about it. And you can make
monsters as colourful as you please, it is THIS kind of imagination in the storyline
that gets my pulse racing these days. I mean, it’s not like kids didn’t love
Up!. Come on, talking dogs! The cone of shame! What more do you want? Like I
said, I reckon we should give the younger generation a tad bit more credit. I
mean, admit it, they’re way better with gadgets. I reckon they can easily
handle a film.
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