Review of Pixar's "UP"

Ladies, Gentlemen… the bar has been set. I do believe that Pixar Studios contains the most remarkably consistently phenomenal set of filmmakers that I have ever witnessed. And they seem to be a nice bunch of people to boot, which renews my faith in the idea that you can be a decent, well rounded, human being, and still be a fantastic artist.

After my second viewing of Up, I realized something that somewhat shocked me: it was now my favorite animated film, beating out even 99’s stellar, The Iron Giant in my heart. I’ll try to describe why in as orderly a fashion as possible.

First and foremost, Up explores the human condition more intimately, beautifully, and simply than any film I’ve seen in recent history. The worlds of the elderly Carl Fredricksen and his young sidekick Russel are ones that most folks ignore. They are the forgotten members of our society, ignored because they are inconvenient. The film doesn’t over-glorify its heroes. Carl is a perfectly flawed old man. He is grouchy and rude, but like any well thought out character, his condition stems from something deeper. Carl’s issues stem from his terrible loneliness. This condition is established throughout the film as beautifully and sadly as anything I’ve ever witnessed in cinematic history. I can’t remember another time I’ve been brought to the verge of tears so many times in a single film, but never once did my emotions feel manipulated or forced. Carl, a computer generated cartoon of a 78-year-old man, is as relatable a character as any I’ve ever seen, and a successful protagonist at that. Russell, is just as simultaneously obnoxious and hysterical as any eager 8-year-old boy, and provides a wonderful foil to his elder. Russell is Carl’s younger mirror, and interestingly, his early disdain of the boy quietly demonstrates Carl’s own self loathing. Russell’s naïve excitement over their adventure is a constant reminder to Carl of the journey he will never be able to take with his departed wife, Ellie.

Up’s supporting characters work well, for the most part. Doug is amusing and loveable. I was particularly impressed with the fact that Pixar was able to work talking dogs into a film without it seeming contrived. The dogs’ speech patterns are hysterical, mostly because they seem so accurate to what a dog would say if it actually could talk. They even manage to sneak an honestly funny high pitched voice gag into the movie without the use of the film’s ridiculously abundant helium. Kevin the “snipe,” while obviously cartoony, is still somehow believable. Leave it to Pixar to put a hysterically dumb bird in a film and make you feel empathy for it. The only weak link in the film is its antagonist. Charles Muntz, Carl’s childhood hero, also provides an interesting foil, but ultimately turns out to be a bit more two-dimensional than the film’s heroes, (or the film itself, if you see it in 3-D). Muntz is the only character whose motivations feel forced, going from an all-around nice guy to murderous psychopath in moments. It’s obvious that Muntz has pain in his own life, but ultimately he just comes across as crazy and evil. I actually felt like the silent and cold-faced businessman that prompts Carl’s journey was a more believable and terrifying villain.

Up is not only a human drama, however. There’s also adventure to be had, and the film succeeds on this level too. From the beginning of Carl’s journey, there is plenty of excitement and beauty. It doesn’t hurt that the excellent animation makes the environments feel real. Simple touches, like the rainbow of light that Carl’s balloons cast on his environment, give the landscape of this adventure an original flair. Also, the South American landscape near the fictional Paradise Falls is breathtaking. I’m tempted to tour South America myself, just to see if the animators were over-exaggerating the beauty of the region. The action in the film is used sparingly, but well. Most is either closely tied to humor or the drama of Carl’s decisions. The beginning of the film’s climax does a good job at reminding us just how much Carl has to give up to do the right thing, and it makes his transformation from victim to hero all the more impactful in the following scenes. Pay attention Hollywood! This is the way that action should be done. No amount of pretty explosions or carefully choreographed kung fu will suffice if there isn’t a deep human need giving it importance.

As a huge fan of movie soundtracks, I would be remiss not to mention the film’s score, by Michael Giacchino. It is beautiful and its old-timey nature fits the film perfectly. My only complaint is that, although there are many well thought out variations of the main theme, there are few deviations from it. That said, the theme does its job well, and one of the most exciting moments of the film is bolstered greatly by hearing a once sad tune take on an exciting new attitude. I would rate the film’s score an 8 out of 10, and easily recommend a purchase to fans of soundtracks.

Finally, I would like to discuss the use of 3D in the film. I watched Up three times in the theatre: twice in 3D and once in 2D. Up was the first feature film I have ever seen in 3D, though I’ve been exposed to the format in various Disney theme park attractions. So though I have few other films to compare it to, my first viewing of Up left me overwhelmed with excitement. I’ve heard some complaints that the movie didn’t really seem like it was made for 3D, but this is exactly why I enjoyed it. Unlike the aforementioned Disney attractions, Up’s 3D subtly enhanced the movie, without seeming gimmicky or forced. I would liken its use to that of Technicolor. It’s certainly not necessary to tell the story, and the film is beautiful without it, but just like color is used in many films to enhance a theme through mood, 3D adds to the overall experience. The most subtle examples of this were the film’s 2D moments. The film even starts out in 2D, because young Carl is at the theatre, looking at a 2D screen as he admires his hero. The jump between 3D Carl and the 2D, black and white newsreel demonstrates just how phony his view of Charles Muntz is. Even more interesting are the moments when Carl looks to his photographs for guidance, realizing that his memories are only that, and that a real adventure is going on around him as he sulks in the past. It’s a small touch, but it added a layer of depth (pun intended), and made the movie more exciting and beautiful to watch. Speaking of excitement, it’s much more intense seeing characters teetering from the edge of an airship when it appears that they could just fall off into the screen.

As far as any negatives are concerned about the 3D experience, I only found two. First of all, the tecnology was not perfect. In both 3D viewings I noticed a pronounced blurring of two images along a cliff’s edge in the same part of the movie. I don’t know if this was because of my eyes (I wear glasses), or if the Real-D technology simply couldn’t recreate the depth of the moment properly. That being said, it was the only moment that I noticed any issues at all with the 3D effect. I’ve heard some people say that Real-D mutes picture colors, and argue that this does a disservice to such a colorful movie. I personally didn’t notice any difference, and I’m a huge image quality snob. (I’m one of those few guys who actually cares about the difference between 1080 and 720 video.) On my second 3D viewing of the film, I noticed that I had a hard time focusing during the 3D trailers, most notably the one for G-Force. I’m not sure if it was because of the rapid fire editing of the trailer, or the fact that stuff kept flying out of the screen, but the images were a bit overwhelming and hard to focus on. My mother was checking to see if she could take her glasses off and watch the movie in 2D before it even began. Perhaps this will be the stumbling block that prevents 3D from ever becoming mainstream. Most normal people can only handle so much visual stimulation. I imagine films like The Bourne Supremacy would be impossible to watch in 3D. A good chunk of the audience couldn’t enjoy even it in 2D film with cuts often changing three times per second. I’m crossing my fingers that moviemakers will take this into consideration, because I feel that 3D has the potential to bolster the film-going experience much more than it hinders it. The only exception being that it is much more difficult to wipe tears away with two pairs of glasses on.

Up is a fine example of everything I love about the movies. It attempts much, and succeeds on nearly every level. It has fantastic characters. It teaches valuable lessons about the human condition without ever once seeming preachy. It is funny, and exciting, and touching. For a movie to succeed on any of these levels is noteworthy. A film that can successfully balance and accomplish all these goals is a true work of art. It is for this reason that I happily give Up my highest reccomendation: 10 out of 10.