6.21.2013

Monsters University Movie Review

Took the kids, got the glasses, ate the popcorn.
 
Monsters, Inc. amused me.  I knew the voice talent, I liked the animation, plus, it was clever.  All those monsters in the closet and under your bed at night were real.  And they were scaring you because the screams of a child powered their world.  Like I said, clever.

Monsters University is a prequel.  Mike was never taken seriously as a monster as a kid, Sully was the BMOC and they become unlikely friends with a rag-tag group of misfits.  

I was expecting more of an Animal House reference but only got them disrupting the mellow guitar player on the grass.  I will just hope/pretend that was a Stephen Bishop homage.  

It's not Revenge of the Nerds, or Animal House, or anything remotely clever or truly funny.  But the voice talent is superb so you can't blame them.  And it looks great.  Sure, I find 3D annoying at best but this one, uh, not so much came hurling out at you.

So you have your misfits, against all odds, etc. etc. clearly cliche-ridden.  I wasn't going expecting a Christopher Nolan twist.  But I thought it would be funny.  Ier.  Funnier.  

Monsters University.  My kids are under the age of 10, they like it.  The soon to be 7-year-old found some of it scary, but just scary because it was a confrontation scene.  It's not riddled with adult references.  The story sends a good message (It's ok to be different.  Just be you.) And it has Helen Mirren.

At its conclusion did I wish I had those 110 minutes back?  Noooooo.  But it left me with no great laughs, no clever catch-phrases (it's so fluffy I could die!)

Monsters University is well worth the wait to see it in your home.  It most likely will not cause you to wish you could gouge out your eyes should you pay to see it in the theater.  Save it for the matinee....or just wait.  It's not going anywhere.  

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