Monsters University

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

Ok, so first off, the short film that plays before this, The Blue Umbrella, is just gorgeous. It's pretty much photo real and looks like a 70's new york indie film. The story is pretty standard boy-meets-girl, etc. etc. But it's just soooo preeettttyyy.

Monster's Inc. is great. You can't give it a sequel because the end to the original is so perfect. It doesn't need a prequel, but it has one now so you're just gonna have to deal with that. It seems like a very odd proposition to make a college movie that's targeted towards kids. Especially here in Australia where the majority of the audience have absolutely no idea what a frat house is or how the whole college lifestyle works.

So it's a good thing they made the film funny. Because besides that, and the prospect of spending some more time with old favourites, the film doesn't have much more going for it. I did laugh a couple of times and it's perfectly enjoyable. The story is pretty straightforward, not many thrills there.

I do have to give them credit for the major theme they tackle that goes counter to almost all hollywood children's movies. We all know from years of movie-going that if we work super hard and follow our dreams we can achieve them. This film shits all over that and rather, prepares us to deal with the inevitable failure that comes from such wistful thinking.

I also got very excited when I thought they were going to go all Friday the 13th in their third act, but they didn't utilise that opportunity to its full potential. (Come on, it's no more outlandish that doing a college movie for kids, they're the same generation.)

As with all prequels they are inherently anti-climactic, because we all know where the characters eventually end up. It's a fun ride to get there but won't leave a lasting impression.