Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Up!
Rating: 5/5
Up, directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, tells a touching story of a 78-year-old widower, Carl Fredricksen, who travels to South America to fulfill his lifelong dream by tying thousands of balloons to his house.
When I first saw the trailer for it, I thought, "This is going to be just another hilarious comedy." But I had forgotten that it's Pixar, not Dreamworks, and Pixar never disappoints.
The story goes beyond Carl's wish to go to South America, and delves deeper into the human aspect of guilt. I won't will try not to spoil the plot, so I'll start of by saying this: I cried three times during that movie. It starts of very sweet and cute: a young Carl is at the movie theatre watching a documentary about his favourite explorer. On the way back home, he meets a little girl named Ellie, who he later marries. She is also a wilderness enthusiast and makes him promise (he crossed his heart!) to take her to South America one day.
Fast forward a few decades: Ellie is dead, and Carl is anguished at the fact that he hadn't kept his promise. So he ties thousands of balloons to his house, and off he goes to South America!
Pixar is great at storytelling; Carl Fredricksen's actions were so believable, that I truly felt like I was there with him. Every little detail was explained in the end; every loose end tied up, just like the balloons to Carl's house.
In all, this was a great concept which bloomed into an amazing story with some original laughs and real heartfelt moments. Just as a sidenote, I think my favourite character would have to be Dug, the friendly dog, just because I can relate to him the most. He's friendly, very absentminded, and gets distracted very easi - SQUIRREL! I would recommend this movie to anyone, because there's something in it for everyone.
Also, if you're like me and you like listening to the soundtrack during the movie, it is absolutely superb as well. :)
So, if you've seen it already, what were your thoughts? And if you haven't yet, what are you waiting for?!
I think Dug is my favourite character too.
He's friendly, very absentminded, and gets distracted very easi - SQUIRREL!
I laughed. :P
did nick laugh when you cried, or did he cry too, cause that would be really funny
I cried a lot during the movie too.... the whole beginning sequence that showed them aging and getting older had me balling! lol Pixar is really good with using repetition to make things heart-warming and meaningful.
I also cried at the pin at the end. I would have cried when he saw the rest of the book, but I knew it was coming, and cried earlier thinking about it. lol
my favorite character was the bird. lol