Rated
G
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 44 Minutes
Cast
(voice)-
Billy
Crystal-Michael 'Mike' Wazowski
John
Goodman-James P. 'Sulley' Sullivan
Steve
Buscemi-Randall 'Randy' Boggs
Helen
Mirren-Dean Abigail Hardscrabble
Joel
Murray-Don Carlton
Sean
Hayes-Terri Perry
Dave
Foley-Terry Perry
Peter
Sohn-Scott 'Squishy' Squibbles
Charlie
Day-Art
Julia
Sweeney-Ms. Squibbles
Nathan
Fillion-Johnny Worthington III
Bobby
Moynihan-Chet Alexander
Aubrey
Plaza-Claire Wheeler
Tyler
Labine-Brock Pearson
Alfred
Molina-Professor Derek Knight
Bonnie
Hunt-Karen Graves
John
Krasinski-'Frightening' Frank McCay
Beth
Behrs-Carrie Williams
John
Ratzenberger-The Yeti
Directed
by Dan Scanlon
 |
| Before they were the best of friends, Mike and Sully were bitter enemies in college. |
Note: Screened on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at AMC Loews Kips Bay 15.
Pixar,
you never cease to make me cry. Why, just last week I was watching 2001's
"Monsters, Inc." for the first time and I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes when Sulley said his good-byes
to Boo. Riding a wave of critical acclaim that peaked with 2010's "Toy
Story 3," the stalwart animation studio has unfortunately been faced with a
creative slump for the past two years. "Cars 2" was released to negative
reviews (38% on Rotten Tomatoes) in 2011 and was only green-lit with the sole
intention of selling more merchandise since the original film generated over $10 billion in worldwide retail sales
for Disney. Last year's "Brave" was a much needed improvement but it
was still not quite up to Pixar's usual standard of excellence. For their fourteenth
feature, the studio is once again revisiting one of their older films with
"Monsters University," a prequel to Pete Docter's "Monsters,
Inc." The idea of making a prequel to such a beloved classic struck me as a
creative dead-end to put it bluntly, especially for a studio like Pixar who built
its reputation on taking story-telling risks. Not to mention the fact that audiences
weren't exactly clamoring for one either. The project just seemed like another disaster
waiting to happen. Well, I'm glad to report that I was completely wrong about
my suspicions. Charming, delightful, and laugh-out-hilarious, "Monsters
University" doesn't stand up to Pixar's finest efforts but it remains an
entertaining film in its own right thanks to its cleverly subversive humor and
strong voice acting.
"Monsters
University" is preceded by an adorable six minute short titled "The
Blue Umbrella," which pushes Pixar's CG animation toward photorealism. Ever since he was
a child, Michael 'Mike' Wazowski (Billy Crystal) has dreamed of becoming a famous
'scarer' after meeting one of his idols, 'Frightening' Frank McCay (John Krasinski),
during a school field trip to Monsters, Inc. Encouraged by McCay's advice, a
seventeen-year-old Mike enrolls in the prestigious Monsters University to pursue
a degree in scaring. To keep up with the rigorous demands of the school's 'scaring
program,' Mike studies day-and-night with his nerdy roommate Randall 'Randy' Boggs
(Steve Buscemi) but the faculty, especially Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirrin),
expresses doubt over the young cyclops' abilities and urge him to quit while
he's ahead. Also looking to become a top scarer is James P. 'Sulley' Sullivan
(John Goodman), who's hoping to cruise past the program on his family name alone.
Quickly becoming bitter rivals, Mike and Sulley's competitiveness soon leads to
their expulsion from the scaring program by Hardscrabble during their final exam.
Not about to let his dreams die, Mike joins up with outcast fraternity Oozma Kappa
in order to compete in the annual Scare Games. Unfortunately, his team, which
includes middle-aged student Don Carlton (Joel Murray), two-headed monster
Terri and Terry (Sean Hayes and Dave Foley), pushover Squishy (Peter Sohn), and
New Age Philosopher Art (Charlie Day), are complete laughingstocks on campus. To
whip these ghouls into shape, Mike is forced to put aside his differences and
work with Sulley.
Just
like "Cars 2" is Pixar's take on the spy thrillers of yesteryear,
"Monsters University" functions as a good-natured callback to the
college flicks of the 1980's. The major difference is that Dan Scanlon's film
is actually good. One of the things I
love about Pixar is the way they consistently raise the bar for CG animation and
this film is no different. Take for example Mike's first day as a college
freshman. Stumbling around the campus green, he encounters all manner of outlandish
monsters going about their business, from Godzilla-sized behemoths playing Frisbee
on the quad to the various clubs trying to draw in new members in their own
eccentric ways (for the art club, a fuzzy monster dumps paint all over its body
and then slaps itself on a white canvas). The studio's continued technological prowess
is on full display here, with every colorful frame packed to the brim with all
manner of cuddly, multi-eyed and multi-limbed creatures, lending the world of Monstropolis
a rich and bizarre texture. The 3D is also utilized very well, creating a nice
sense of depth that gives the university and the various characters that inhabit
it a tangible quality. It's definitely not a revelation but the added effect is
handled with care and precision, which is more than I can say for other 3D features
(I'm looking at you, "World War Z.")
Written
by Scanlon, Robert L. Baird, and Daniel Gerson, the story in "Monsters
University" adheres very closely to Jeff Kanew's seminal 1984 comedy
"Revenge of the Nerds." The rather formulaic script is by far the
film's biggest flaw but the hilarious comedy fortunately makes up for any
shortcomings. In fact, this is the funniest Pixar feature yet, with its humor subtly
subverting our expectations. When Mike is about to enter his dorm room, he announces
that 'behind this door will be my lifelong friend and companion' and opens it
to find Randall Boggs, a shy, spectacles-wearing nerd who sometimes has trouble
controlling his chameleon-like abilities. Given what we know will happen, these
little in-jokes (including an appearance from a particular slug) certainly lends
a fun irony to the proceedings. The various challenges of the Scare Games are
entertaining to watch and one of the highlights is seeing how Mike's motley crew
overcomes each obstacle. Of course, this is the story of how Mike and Sulley became
the best friends that we saw in "Monsters, Inc." and once again, Scanlon
plays with our expectations. What appears to be a simple tale of two people realizing
that they have much more common turns out to be something more complex. Pixar has
always excelled in packing their films with thematic content that appeals to both
kids and adults, and what
"Monsters University" is really about is that sometimes, it's okay to
fail. Children are often told that they can accomplish anything if they'd just
'follow their dreams' but the reality is that not every dream can come true.
This in no way means you're a failure; it just means that your path lies
elsewhere and I found this very refreshing in an animated film. Mike and Sulley's
heart-to-heart at the end not only deepen their friendship and bond, it damn-near
made me cry.
The
voice acting is top notch across the board. Unlike other animation studios who
try to draw in solely big celebrity names, Pixar focuses on choosing the right
actor or actress whose voice best embodies the character that they're
portraying. It's what puts their films a cut above the rest. Returning to their
roles twelve years later, Billy Crystal and John Goodman have not lost a step
and hearing these two verbally spar is just delightful. Their passion for Mike and
Sulley shines through in their energetic voice work and the easy chemistry they
share is palpable in every scene. Making a memorable impression is Helen Mirren
as the half-dragon/half-centipede Dean Hardscrabble. Her smooth voice chills
you to the bone and the creature design for her character is beyond words. It
inspires both awe and fear. The various actors that bring the Oozma Kappa fraternity
to life are also great, with Charlie Day being a standout as laid-back weird
guy Art. Aubrey Plaza and Nathan Fillion round out the talented cast, with Plaza
voicing Goth girl Claire Wheeler and Fillion as Roar Omega Roar's overconfident
leader Johnny Worthington.
Released
on June 21, 2013, "Monsters University" has received largely positive
reviews with 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that 'it doesn't scale the
heights of Pixar's finest efforts, but [the film] is still funny and thoughtful
family entertainment for viewers of any age.' Given the pedigree of the Pixar
brand, the film should easily top the weekend box office, even with competition
from Brad Pitt's "World War Z" and last week's reigning champion
"Man of Steel." The highly enthusiastic response at Tuesday's advance
screening is a clear indication that many are still fans of the studio's work
despite their less-than stellar outings from the last two years. No, it's not
the instant classic that many were hoping for but "Monsters
University" manages to justify its existence by exploring Mike and Sulley's
friendship in new and unexpected ways while providing plenty of hearty laughs.
It's a second-tier film that still blows all other rival animated features out
of the water.
Final
Rating: 4 out of 5
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