Monday, November 4, 2013
Monsters University (2013)
Cast:
Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren
Director: Dan Scanlon
Synopsis: The prequel to Monsters
Inc. brings you back to when the dynamic scaring duo, Mike and Sully, first
met in college. After a series of events, Mike and Sully are kicked out of the
scaring program at their university and are forced to work together if they
ever hope to get back into the program. Because of their differences they do
not get along at first but when forced to stick together, Mike and Sully
realize that they have more in common than they ever thought before.
Reviewer's Rating: 3.5/5 Reels
Review:
A different
director than the original film, Dan Scanlon, brings this animated comedy to
life. Known as a writer for the Pixar film Cars,
Scanlon finally gets his foot in the door in directing when taking on this
prequel to one of the most loved animated movies.
This movie
immediately starts off with nostalgia with the reintroduction of characters we
all know and love including Mike, Sully, and Randall. References to the
previous film are also made such as the epic walk-in scene of the “scarers” and
Mike’s head being cut off in his ID picture. These scenes flood the viewer with
childhood memories of our favorite moments and jokes with characters we already
know so well.
Monsters University is the perfect example of the underdog
story. Mike, the classic nerd figure, is kicked out of scaring school because
despite all of his knowledge about scaring, he is not scary enough. Sully, the
classic jock figure, on the other hand is kicked out because his grades are not
up to par. The two have to team up with a group of misfits in order to win a
bet made with the dean of the university to let them back into the scaring
program.
Even twelve
years after the original movie, this film stays true to the comedic nature of
the original and the personalities of the characters. But the film was able to
grow with its audience through the more mature setting of a university that may
not be as suitable for children, unlike Monsters
Inc. was when the audience was at a younger age. I believe that the
director, Scanlon, balanced beautifully nostalgic memories of a film we hold so
dearly while revealing new sides of our “fictional friends” Mike and Sully.
By Amy Lane
I too loved this movie. I was laughing out loud for the majority of the film. It is rather smart of the director to research the age of the viewers of the original movie because it was a movie I could relate to. I remember seeing the movie in theaters as a young child so I like being able to watch the Monsters Inc.2 while relating to their college days. I thought the movie was quite corny at parts, but was an overall a good, funny movie.
ReplyDeleteI really loved this move though I almost didn’t see it myself to avoid the recent prequel movie genres that have been coming out. I actually recently watched the film and am glad to say that I was mistaken. While remaining true to the original film, the movie defiantly brings a new understanding of Mike’s and Sully’s world. As a college student I could defiantly relate to the fear of taking an exam. The movie however, puts this on whole new level where the exams are actually terrifying. The story arc while simple defiantly demonstrates a significant moral that it helps to work together to overcome the odds.
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