So, I went to see Up with The Wookiee on Sunday. My love for Pixar is well-established, and my favorite reviewer gave it four stars, so I figure — hey, why wait?
My recommendation: It’s beautiful, it’s brilliant, it may be the best Pixar yet, but for the love of God don’t see it when you’re hormonal.
I sobbed so hard at the beginning that I almost left; the strain of holding back audible wails in a crowded movie theater was physically painful. I don’t want to spoil the movie — the reason the previews are so vague is because the story is more or less impossible to summarize — but the first five minutes establish Carl Frederickson’s character by summarizing his life, and it’s a wonderful, completely heart-breaking five minutes. I will confess that The Wookiee and I are more or less the most likely demographic to be emotionally damaged by such a scene, but in our defense, there seemed to be some adults around us sniffling as well.
This brings us to an interesting issue — Up isn’t really a children’s movie. I mean, there’s a child in it, and some animals, and a lot of balloons, but… it isn’t even that it’s just a movie for all ages, it’s that I don’t see how it’s for children really at all. Very little happens in the first twenty minutes that a small child could identify with — there’s no action and no real emotions or storyline that’s going to connect to anyone under 15, or even really be recognized by anyone under 8. After that the going is easier for wee ones, but that’s a long time not to hook kids in a supposed kids’ movie.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again — The Best Animated Feature Oscar is a joke, designed to keep the Academy from admitting that “children’s movies” are often better than anything on the Best Picture list. If Up doesn’t make the jump to Best Picture, then nothing ever will.
Go see it, but bring tissues.
Hm. If someone pays for my movie, popcorn, whiskey, and babysitter…then maybe I’ll see it. I heard there was cheap pseudo-heartstring tugging in the first 20 minutes. I guess I’ll have to judge for myself. Or wait until it is released on BluRay.
WORD WORD WORD to all. I shed actual tears during the first twenty minutes, and yes, especially during THAT scene. But I also laughed hysterically, and was touched much more than I thought I would be. I should go into these with higher expectations, other than to love it, but Pixar always manages to blow me away with their deep emotions, too.
The Chef — What you call cheap pseudo-heartstring tugging, I call moving. I highly recommend you don’t see it, actually, because you’ll hate it and it will inspire another 30 comment thread on Facebook.
wonderspot — I laughed less than I expected to, but that might be because being funny was less of a point; they didn’t so much have jokes as they had circumstantial humor. That being said, I did giggle hopelessly at Alpha’s voice.
Seth Rogan is in it. I like Seth Rogan. I would like to think he wouldn’t involve himself in a shitty movie…
*shrug*
Seth Rogan isn’t in it.
[...] it’s one hell of a category. Six months ago, I was positive that the award was a lock for Up, but then I saw Coraline (which I could have sworn I reviewed on here, but apparently not), and now [...]