Up
Well, it was better than Wall-E.
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into “Up”. I’m not a huge fan of the Pixar films, but that could be because my 3-year old watches them on an hourly basis.
This film is about a crotchety old man who accidentally kidnaps what I’m pretty sure is a chubby Asian boy scout and they go on an adventure together. Interestingly enough, there was no pedophilia involved.
But seriously, it’s the tale of two unlikely friends who find each other in the end and the old man learns what it’s like to move on from his wife’s death. That’s right, his wife that died. In the movie. The kids movie. Honestly, why do they put so many thematic elements in kids movies nowadays? This old man could’ve just been pissy and wanted to move his house, but they show this entire montage about how he met his wife, how they tried to have kids, but the doctor says it won’t work and they are all depressed, then she dies. My kid was really into that first 15 minutes. And by into, she was asking constantly, “Why are they all sad?”
Seriously, I wanted to take her to a movie that she could laugh at some stupid talking dog, that of which they showed the majority of funny parts in the trailer anyway. Instead I’m dealing with death and infertility? That’s too much for a Tuesday night at the movies.
This film was also in 3D. Not in York, Nebraska, of course, but in other places with real theatres. Would the 3D have made it any better? No.
3D is a gimmick. That is, until all films are made in 3D. Then no one will care.
Are there any reasons to see this movie? Sure, Giacchino’s soundtrack is awesome. While I didn’t hear any familiar LOST noises or trombone wails, the lively upbeat orchestration kept the second and third acts of the film moving and interesting. They flowed and fit beautifully.
The CG in Up is amazing, though. Honestly, between the dynamics of objects against each other and the fabric textures, I can honestly say that I was blown away by what Pixar has come to with their animations. It was unreal at times just how real some things looked. So if anything, give them an award for CG or music.
