Monsters University

[kevinknapman]

Saw this at the BFI on Wednesday followed by a Q&A with director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae. I have to admit I was a little sceptical when this was originally announced. As it's been mentioned Monsters Inc was such a perfectly contained story that a prequel just felt unnecessary at best and a cheap cash-in at worst. Earlier teasers didn't exactly change my mind and I thought that it might just be a 'monsters in a university' gag-fest with little of the heart that was so evident in the first film. I managed to avoid the full trailers afterwards so went into this fairly fresh.

Luckily it turned out to be better than I thought it would be. Though there are plenty of gags that riff on the world of further education and how monsters might fit into it, there is also plenty of heart and even a decent message that isn't rammed down our throats. So while it often plays like a 'U' rated version of Revenge of the Nerds or Animal House, it also manages to remember that Mike & Sully should be the real focus of the story. So it's their relationship that matters most from the rocky beginnings as they first meet at the university (even if the filmmakers do conveniently forget the 'You've been jealous of my good looks since the 4th Grade' line from the original) up to being the close friends and enjoyable double act we know and love. Mike's journey in particular is well handled and my faith in the film was restored almost immediately with a (very cute) infant Mike visiting the Scare Floor of Monsters Inc on a school visit. Which leads to his ambition to become a scarer himself. It's his unlikely dream that drives the film and although we know how it turns out, how it gets there is not so clear cut and manages to hold your interest.

There are also some great new characters though. Especially the four members of the Oozma Kappa fraternity (five if you count the two-headed Terri & Terry) who are all fully rounded and likeable characters. Some recognisable voices round out the cast with Helen Mirren as the University's dean and Nathan Fillion as the head of a rival fraternity. There are also a few cameos from some of the original film's characters though it would be a shame to spoil how they make an appearance. They did get a huge response from the audience I saw it with when they did.

Visually it is outstanding of course, but then most Pixar films are, even the mediocre ones. There is so much to see and a new piece of lighting software means that it looks even richer and more detailed than the original. New technical advances also mean that more monsters can be on screen at the same time, which means that they had to be even more creative in their designs. They definitely don't disappoint.

Monsters University may not be vintage Pixar nor quite the equal of the original but it is a worthy prequel in it's own right. It is a little overlong and does drag a little in the middle but on the whole it's a very funny and entertaining story. It's also a masterpiece compared to Cars 2 which also felt like an entirely unnecessary sequel (though that's probably more to do with the fact that the first Cars was fairly underwhelming). I would also recommend you stick around for a very amusing post credits scene that gives a punchline to an earlier gag in the film.

For those interested the short that plays before the film is called The Blue Umbrella. It's a rather familiar tale of boy meets girl, loses girl, then fights to find her again. They just happen to be umbrellas in this case. I found it to be more technically impressive than entertaining and its depiction of a rainy city street is so realistic you'll be convinced some of it must be live action. It's charming enough but it is a story you'll feel you have seen many times before.

[EthanRunt]

Saw it this past morning with Mike and Sully in the house (Very energetic costume wearers), whilst The Blue Umbrella was disappointing in that it looked good but played bland, Monsters U turned out to be a very funny, very sweet story of Mike Wasowski, with Sully as a strong support rather than trying to bring in a rivalry that would hurt their friendship bond from the earlier film. Not overly original, but it does what it needs to do with aplomb, and Art, the all-legs character made me laugh like nobody's business.
A really strong Pixar film, better than a lot of their output of late, this is a hugely enjoyable film, and makes good on the promise of crazy designs and a fun universe first envisaged in Monsters, Inc.

[badcoverversion]

These positive reviews are a huge relief to me. The original is possibly my all-time favourite Pixar film (it's a close call between MI and Up) and my kid is really excited about seeing this in the cinema.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the animation technology has progressed as well. I imagine Sully's coat will be a sight to behold on the big screen.

[yogi]

Create-A-Monster: http://t.co/y1W6EFdaXt

[elski]

[elski]

Never too old for MU! RT @bill626: Primark have range of @MonstersU clothes, sadly not in adult sizes #toooldforMU pic.twitter.com/333ve30Ihf

[mathew1971]

Kids cant wait for this at Manchester - any FMUKers please say hello (Diane etc).

[michelleans]

i just managed to book tickets for this on sunday thro the times
kids will be so excited

[tsoiboy]

Saw this tonight at Stratford East to an unusually packed screening. Security was very strict tonight.

This was really entertaining though we have seen this type of story line before but it was done well and not too over sentimental or shmultzy. Funny and really enjoyable and a strong Pixar film. Kind of returning to their form after some more recent weaker films.

9/10

P.S. Do remain to the end of the film for an extra snippet.

[Diane65]

Kids cant wait for this at Manchester - any FMUKers please say hello (Diane etc).

I certainly will and I'll introduce you to the Manchester FMUKers. Really looking forward to it.