Is there a studio more consistent than Pixar? Year in, year out it delivers family films that not only entertain the kids, but operate on a level palatable to adults. Now, it’s had a film nominated for best picture and, as you can see by my ranking, I think it was a quality enough film to compete with some of the other nominees. This evaluation contrasts my criticisms of The Blind Side in which I claimed it is not a best picture caliber film and, therefore, shouldn’t be in the category. Ultimately, I would also concede that neither is Up. However, I rank it ahead of District 9 and A Serious Man because it is simply executed so tremendously.
Sometimes when you watch a film, everything just seems to work and everything just fits. I felt that way watching Up. The animation, as we all have come to expect with Pixar, is fantastic. The story is cute and the themes of adventure and love match it perfectly. Everything in the film, all the way to the score, fits together in the same unique style. I’m not saying this film will change your perspective, but it truly is the definition of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
What allows for this harmony of intermingling aspects of the film is its solid backbone of a well-structured, well-told story. Its set-up manages to cover a lifelong relationship from its inception to its conclusion in a heart-warming, efficient manner so that when Ellie dies and Carl is left alone, we understand why he is such a bitter old man, and, therefore, we’re okay with it. That incredible crafting of the story’s introduction allows Carl room to grow so that his journey is relevant to him for more than the adventure. It is literally life changing. From there, the story moves along at a good pace. It doesn’t speed through character development and it doesn’t loll between the more exciting action scenes. Every single beat of the story hits at the appropriate time, which makes it easier to follow and easier to lose yourself in. Every single turning point makes sense and the ending is both fitting and touching. I honestly cannot look at any part of the movie and say it should have been done differently.
With such high praise, you must be wondering why I only rank it as number seven. Well, despite the incredible execution of the film, the premise is not that strong. To sum it up in a sentence, I’d say, “A grumpy old man attaches thousands of balloons to his house to fly away on the adventure he and his late wife never took, but he finds an unwelcome guest in the form of a boy scout has come along for the ride in Up.” After you get past the idea of helium balloons lifting a house from its foundation, you get a story that isn’t really fresh- an old guy reliving his childhood and going on an adventure. That movie came out recently and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull flopped. Just ask Shia LaBeouf. On top of it, the adventure is to find an exotic bird. Really, that’s an adventure? Well, at least give us a menacing enemy. Nope- An even older man and a pack of talking dogs. Who green-lighted this flick?! And look where it ended up. Like I said, incredible execution by a trusted studio.
Along the same lines of the weak premise, I do handicap Up because it’s a children’s movie. This handicap is not some sort of personal, statutory limit I’ve imposed on kids movies, like ‘no movie under PG-13 will ever make my top 5”. Rather it is because the themes are dealt with on a more childish, elementary level… as they should be. Generally, children’s films can’t be entertaining and understandable to children as well as challenging and thought provoking to adults. In this film, an elderly man tries to move on now that his lifelong partner and soul mate has passed, and he does so pretty easily, without much heartache. I can’t imagine the anguish someone must feel when they lose a partner of roughly 60 years, and, the film ignores that entire dynamic, which it really must do because it is a children’s movie.
To sum it up, this is simply just a good movie. It is charming, funny, and heart-warming and the story will keep you entertained and involved regardless of your age. If you have kids or are one and you haven’t seen this movie yet, let me be the first to welcome you back to Earth and suggest you hop in the car (or online) and go pick it up. If you don’t have kids, I’d still recommend you rent it if you’re in the mood for something a little lighter and easier to watch.
Scale:
1- Lots of Better Movies at Blockbuster
2- Might Be Worth Renting
3- Rent It When You Get to It
4- A Must Rent, at some point
5- Put It in Your Queue NOW!
My Rating: 3.5
I agree this is a "good" movie. Not great but definitely entertaining to watch. The plot is very simple but it has to be for a kids movie. This definitely doesn't compete with Ratatouille.
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