Film Review: UP (2009)

2009-09-28 03:51:28

"UP" Movie Review. 8/10.
By Todd Murphy. ALL ABOUT MOVIES.NET.
Directed by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Starring Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai

BOTTOM LINE:
Pixar do not seem to know how to make a bad film, cranking out another winner with “UP”, a delightful new CG-animated flick that has all the charm, character, story and visual sophistication we have all come to expect from Pixar, despite its unusual concept.

THE GOOD:
“UP” tells the story of 78 year old Carl Frederickson who sets out to fulfil his lifelong dream of exploring the wilds of South America. The dense and moving ten minute prologue chronicles Carl’s life with his lively wife Ellie, from their cute beginnings with their shared interest in exploration, through to their marriage, life and the eventual death of Ellie. Many themes of life, birth, death, love and marriage are played out in this prologue, almost making it worthy of a film on its own, with a moment or two pulling at the heart strings and are much more adult than you would expect in a kids’ film. When Carl finds himself being sent to a retirement home after an unfortunate incident with a property developer, he sets out to fulfil his promise to Ellie of exploring the wilds of South America. He ties a huge amount of helium balloons to his house which when released cause his house to fly away, setting him off on his adventure. However, he has an 8-year old scout stow-away on board and together, they find themselves in the midst of a grand adventure neither ever expected. The premise for “UP” is very unusual for a Pixar film, with characters that are not as easily ‘marketable’ which makes the success of this movie all the more astonishing. All of the ingredients are there including great characters, funny dialogue, good story and wonderful visuals, particularly when seen in 3D. The dynamics of the plot are quite interesting, particularly as Carl’s hero Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer) turns out to be the main villain of the piece, despite his heroic introduction in the news reel footage at the beginning of the film. The filmmakers ability to work against type by taking an otherwise heroic character on a genuine mission of exploration and making him the bad guy, particularly as the heroes are a 78-year old retiree and an 8-year old boy scout, is a testament to their collective talents in making the whole thing work; this can be said for the film as a whole because the concept is certainly odd to say the least. “UP” is yet another winner from Pixar Animation Studios who have produced an excellent, and unique story almost everyone should enjoy.

THE BAD:
“UP” proves to be very good filmmaking, with very little to criticise. It is only when comparing this film to others in the long line of Pixar films that one might find a problem or two. The characters in general, although solid and with the exception of Carl and boy scout Russell, are not as memorable as those from previous Pixar films. Also, previous films have produced better cinematic images, with Wall-E being the standout example of computer generated images that could almost pass as the real thing. All said however, “UP” is still an excellent film that you will enjoy.

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Todd Murphy is a film analyst and staff writer/reviewer for the film and DVD review web site, ALL ABOUT MOVIES.NET.