The Good:
This movie is
gorgeous. As I was watching it with my younger brother (James) and my
mom, Mom would comment how you could tell that they sometimes used
actual footage and put animation over it. It's so good she was
convinced that some of it was real. While I must give the character
models award to Zootopia, that movie is edged by the
landscapes and nature that play such an integral role in this film.
The story-telling
is at its best when it relies on the visuals. The middle of the movie
basically serves as a quest to return home while Arlo and the boy
Spot bond as they meet new dinosaurs. With this bare plot-line,
usually something like dialogue or actions is used to make up for it.
And this movie takes a WALL-E approach to dialogue and storytelling
for the most part, and scenes such as at night in the riverbed when
they talk about their families with the sticks and hardly a word
spoken, that is the type of moment that engages the audience
and proves that Pixar knows how to please people of all ages.
It is during these
scenes that the hilarious triceratops and cowboy-like t-rexes are met
and enjoyed. They add the differing animal backgrounds well enough
like Finding Nemo to keep the ball rolling through the minimal
plot. Plus, Steve Zahn (Thunderclap) is always a welcome addition.
The boy and dog
dynamic is a really neat idea introduced after the 30-minute mark,
and it not only plays off well, but it also makes sense. What this
does is add more progression to the character development, which is
one the movie's main focuses.
The Bad:
Sadly, the
story-telling doesn't work very well when it isn't relying on the
visuals. The first 20-30 minutes of the film are disappointingly
conventional, and add nothing new to the mix (except for eye-popping
visuals). Furthermore, there is a much larger sense of predictability
that doesn't matter as far as kids are concerned, but older members
of the human species will know exactly what to expect.
The main character
Arlo is honestly a little too annoying. Of course over the span of
the movie he is supposed to grow up and overcome his fears, but the
transition happens quickly (the movie is just over 1 ½ hours) and
without much effectiveness.
A third act I would
kind of compare to Ice Age has a weird sense of wanting to be
emotional and dramatic and powerful, but I think even the filmmakers
knew it wouldn't have the lasting impression that their other films
achieved. And this goes back to both the predictability and the lack
of a consistent base throughout the film.
The Ugly:
This movie suffered
through production Hell. The story wasn't quite right, the release
date kept being pushed back, and people were fired and had to be
recast. Luckily, it isn't some Batman & Robin disaster of
a film-- but it still does suffer.
Even with an
improved story, it is still one of the weakest in that area as far as
Pixar movies are concerned. On the bright side of that, however,
that's not the focus of the film. And what it does focus on, the two
main characters, it doesn't succeed to the level we expect, and also
what it simply needs to be. Basically, it falls flat in most areas.
But what is not ugly is the visuals. And this goes beyond just what
you see on the screen. This takes into account the genuine moments of
the film that don't require clunky dialogue to get the point across.
It's just a disappointment that there aren't enough of these moments
in the film.
Get ready for a new
member of the Gill Family to guest-review for tomorrow, and trust me,
he will make me look studip.
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