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Tuesday 8th September 2009, 09:25
Up: A Listener's Review (cos the UK STILL haven't got it yet)
Us Brits are still waiting for Up. Come on, Pixar, pull your finger out. Who doesn't want to see an old man flying in a house attached to some balloons? Well us if you drag it out any loner. In the mean time, here's a review from across the world from us here in Blighty, from podcastee Jedd...
Toys, insects, monsters, fish, superheroes, cars, rats and robots. And the star of Pixar Animation Studios’ latest film? A cantankerous septuagenarian. Can a grumpy old man carry an animated film, the first to open the Cannes Film Festival? I am among those who think that the genius animators and storytellers at Pixar can make anything work-to a certain extent, at least.
Carl Fredericksen (Asner) is an aging, widower balloon salesman whose beloved house is threatened by a construction company. The film’s prologue tells the story of how an 8-year-old Carl meets his future wife Ellie, both sharing an interest in the adventures of famed explorer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer). A montage sure to bring a tear to any eye shows the couple getting married and growing old together, working towards their dream of moving to Paradise Falls in South America, until Ellie passes away.
To keep his promise to Ellie to move to Paradise Falls, Carl creates a makeshift airship out of 10 000 helium balloons that lift his house off the ground. Carl, in his floating house is on his way until he discovers he has extra baggage in the form of an over-enthusiastic boy scout-type named Russell. Carl reluctantly lets Russell tag along, knowing he has no choice.
Surviving a violent storm, the two eventually make it to South America and attempt to walk to Paradise Falls, dragging the floating house along. On the way, they meet an exotic bird of paradise whom Russell nicknames “Kevin”, a talking Golden Retriever named Dug (Peterson) and Charles Muntz himself. However, mayhem ensues when Carl and Russell discover Muntz will do anything and everything to capture Kevin alive, having been previously called a fraud for bringing back a skeletal specimen of the bird.
Among Up’s strengths is its whimsical premise-a house carried into the sky by innumerable colourful, helium-filled balloons. The image of balloons emerging from under an unfurling tarp is awe-inspiring and beautifully-rendered, as is much of the movie.
Up is also undeniably a character piece. There is so much depth in the relationship between Carl and Ellie, even though it is told in 15 minutes and, for the most part, without dialogue. This whirlwind journey through the travails and simple joys of the 70 years they spend together is the film’s strongest portion.
A masterful balance has also been found in the characterization of almost everyone in the film. Audiences are able to laugh at Carl’s incessant grumpiness, but also sympathise with the hardship of losing his wife. Russell is endearing and not in the least irritating, as animated sidekicks can often be. Seven-year-old Jordan Nagai is perfectly cast as the rotund foil to Fredericksen. Bob Peterson, also the movie’s co-director, injects boundless energy into Dug, which makes for one of the most entertaining talking dogs in the cinematic history of talking dogs. Christopher Plummer also audibly relishes playing the stereotype, if only in voice, of the flamboyant adventurer with a Machiavellian streak.
The movie seems to hit all the right notes in combining plenty of delightful humour, moments of sadness, visual spectacle, an adventurous spirit and genuine peril-those heights are frighteningly realistic, especially in 3D, and there is plenty of dangling thousands of feet up in the air.
However, Up is not perfect, and despite its many positive points, is not Pixar’s best effort in my opinion. The first half of the film is noticeably better than the second; for all it’s worth the primary colours of the rainforest and fairly exciting chase sequences cannot outshine the heartfelt love story between Carl and Ellie.
Up is also admittedly far-fetched, and while every effort is made to ground the story, it just seems to float up and up and up. At times the whimsical premise works against it, and portions of the film are a little too fantastical to be readily relatable to the audience. While the story is inventive, it is not as visionary or well-told as, say, Ratatouille or Finding Nemo. Even in terms of visual spectacle, Up doesn’t pack as much as Pixar’s action-packed superhero satire The Incredibles or WALL-E. The latter also has a slightly more endearing main character to carry the film.
All that said however, Up supercedes many mediocre animated films that cram too many pixels and not enough story into their 80-90 minutes. One can always expect more from Pixar, and despite its shortcomings, Up rises satisfyingly far above average.
3.5/5 STARS
Episode 42nd Street