Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Tinsel

Home
Religious Music & Entertainment
Review: ‘Monsters University’ is Good, but Not Quite Pixar

Review: ‘Monsters University’ is Good, but Not Quite Pixar

Last updated on: June 21, 2013 at 6:07 am by Rebecca Cusey

Review: ‘Monsters University’ is Good, but Not Quite Pixar 2013-06-21T06:07:08-06:00 Rebecca Cusey

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Monsters University, the prequel to Monsters, Inc., hits all the Pixar notes.

A clever world rendered in meticulous detail? Check.

Well-rounded characters with humor flowing organically from their inner character? Check.

A sweet, warm core about the universal value of friendship? Check.

But there is a fatal flaw.

If you could sum up Monsters, Inc, the lesson would be: It’s better to be loved than feared.

After all, children’s laughter is more powerful than screams and monsters and children can be friends, right? That was kind of the point.

And then, in Monsters University, we’re transported back to a time when being scary was the greatest good and terrorizing children is the goal.

It kind of takes the oomph out of the whole thing. We know Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) is destined to befriend Boo and revolutionize monster/human relations, so how can we really, truly get behind his quest to be the scariest scarer in the whole land?

Mike, a small monster of humble origins, is the monster you’d last expect to become a big, mean, tough scarer. The scarers are the astronauts of the monster world, held in awe by mere mortal monsters. But Mike is kind of a runt.

He works hard, very hard. He has heart, tons of heart. So when his admission to the premiere monster training program comes through, he sees it as the next logical step in his quest to be the best.

On campus, he bumps into Sullivan (John Goodman), lackadaisical scion of a great scaring family. His father is a legend. Sully, of course, is built like a mac truck and scares people just standing still.

He has had everything handed to him on a spooky platter.

The opposites become rivals, neck and neck until the moment they both flunk out of scaring school. With their futures in the balance, they enter the scaring contest, their only hope at redemption. The team they gather around them is no help, the monsters equivalent of Lambda Lambda Lambda.

The heart of the film is the rivalry between Mike and Scully that turns to friendship, but only when each admits his own “jerkiness” and changes his ways. That storyline is rich and warm and lovely, as is so often the case in Pixar films.

Also rich is the monster collegiate world, from the guitar playing strummer with lyrics about tentacles to the sorority girls whose laser eyes mean business. There’s a gag in everything and, again being Pixar, they all work. The film is funny and wonderful in its gentle humor.

The passion to succeed that drives Mike and, ultimately, Scully, is also a wonderful thing for kids to be seeing. They love what they do and are willing to work and sacrifice for it. (Unlike the other barometer of teen culture this week…The Bling Ring)

Rated G, there is no wink-wink humor or potty language that will make you regret bringing the kids. A few scenes might be scary for kids, especially a dean whose bat wings and centipede body make her the creepiest thing at the U. But mostly, it’s all bright colors and goofy monsters roaring.

So this is a very good movie from Pixar. Far better than many of the animated movies you’ll be seeing this year. Parents and kids will enjoy it together.

And, yet, from Pixar, we expect more than very good. We expect sublime, excellent, amazing. We expect a movie that makes us choke up just thinking about it, as I do when I remember Toy Story 3.

This is not that level. If it were released from any other studio, it would be one of their best flicks. From Pixar, it’s not even in the top category.

Pixar does amazing work. But not everything can be Up or Toy Story 3, I suppose.

Sigh.

Previous Post

June 21, 2013

Review: Brad Pitt Battles Undead in 'World War Z'

Next Post

June 21, 2013 Warning: You WILL Cry at Stephen Colbert's Tribute to His Mother (Video)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Becky's Picks Children's Movies DVD releases Entertainment News Faith on Film Featured Hunger Games In Theaters Interviews Life, Etc. Mixed Nuts Movie Reviews Poliflix Scroogewatch slider Television Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 April 2011 March 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who walked on water besides Jesus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Elijah Moses Peter Paul