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Whimsical, witty, & touching all in one NO SPOILER
by GLgirl (movies profile)
May 30, 2009
141
of
151 people found this review helpful
I laughed, I cried, I laughed again! “Up” was unlike any other animated movie I’ve ever seen.
The thing about Pixar movies is that they are so unpredictable with their comedy. You expect one thing to happen, and then all of a sudden they throw out something so unexpected that you can’t help but laugh super hard and miss the next couple of lines with barely enough time to catch the next joke. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much at a movie. The jokes were witty, memorable, surprisingly clean (there was absolutely nothing crude), and totally slap-your-knee, stitch-inducing funny! This movie had enough comedy to satisfy both adults and children alike.
This movie had such inspirational messages in it: family, keeping your promises, loyalty, friendship, and even sacrifice. The main characters, namely Carl Fredrickson and eight-year-old Russell, show each of these timeless values in a heroic fashion. Carl even learns some of these lessons from Russell himself. Carl really and truly loves his wife, from their childhood, through their marriage, even after her death. He does his best throughout his life to keep his promise to her--to make her dreams of going to Paradise Falls come true. I won’t tell you if he finally makes it to Paradise Falls or not, but what I will tell you is that he stops at nothing to keep his promise to her.
By far, the most interesting and unique thing about this movie, compared to the rest of these modern-day animated flicks, is that this movie is the most realistic. While most other films encourage kids to “follow their dreams” the movie “Up” shows that not all dreams are achievable; that sometimes you have to let these dreams go when obstacles come in your way. But “Up” shows that even when that happens, you can find other beautiful things more powerful than loosing your dream: You can make friends whom you would have never known needed your help and friendship, you can change the lives of others even when they thought they never would have needed it, and you can discover people, places and things that you never would have dreamed would exist.
Although “Up” was rated PG, it almost could have passed for a “G” rated movie. I watched it thinking it to be a “G” movie almost the entire time. There were only a few scenes of peril and intensity, but they weren’t too terribly throttling. I suppose it was just intense enough for you to hold on to your six-year-old’s hand in a comforting, assuring way (there was a three-year-old in the 3D showing I was in who started crying at an intense scene in a storm). Otherwise this is a great family movie!
Now if you’re wondering which version of the movie you should see (2D or 3D), I suppose I would have to say that it’s all up to you. I viewed both the 2D and the 3D version, and they were both great! The 2D version had a smaller screen than the 3D version, but it was still an acceptable showing. The 3D version just added an extra POW! to the visuals; for instance, in scenes up in the sky or when a character was hanging from a dizzying height, the 3D effect made it all the more majestic or all the more intense. I have seen several 3D movies within the past year, and I can’t honestly say that this movie was the best 3D film I’ve seen, but it wasn’t the worst either (in my opinion, “Finding Nemo” would have been a better 3D movie than “Up”). I you’d prefer to save some money, (or if you’re afraid of heights) go ahead and see the 2D version; however, if you’re a 3D junkie or you don’t mind paying an extra $3 or $4 and you don’t mind heights, then by all means go see “Up” in 3D!
Now if you’d prefer a broader opinion than just my own, I can give you the opinion of the audiences at the two showings I attended. At the 2D version, there was lots of lively laughter and “oohs” and “ahs” at some of the beautiful scenery in the film. At the end, many people applauded, much to my surprise as it is quite rare to hear people applaud at the end of a movie, especially an animated one! At the 3D showing, there was rip-roaring laughter (even louder than at the 2D showing) and there were plenty of “awws” on several of the touching scenes. Again, at the end of the 3D showing, many people were applauding. As I walked out of the jam-packed 3D showing, I heard people chattering about how good the movie was. I didn’t hear anything negative from either adults or children. It was then that I was certain that Pixar had made another masterpiece!
Only the masters at Pixar could have dreamed up such a story with so much adventure, comedy and heart. “Up” will bring tears to your eyes and make you laugh harder and harder every minute of the film, guaranteed! I am glad that Pixar made such a unique film with such singular messages that ALL of us can learn from, both adult and child. I highly recommend “Up” to any and everyone! Well done, Pixar, for making another clean, family-friendly movie! |
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