Film Review #105: Monsters University

So, if Cars 2 or Brave didn't steer you away from Pixar in 2012, then I'm more than sure you figured that the prequel to one of their most famous films was a surefire hit that would endear itself to audiences on the same level as Pixar's finest.  While not the best Pixar film, Monsters Inc. had a certain charisma and charm to it that allowed it to not fall it's way into Animated Limbo alongside the many less than stellar films that came out around the same time.  Yep.  Too bad the prequel threw all of the good things out and replaced it with a cliched college buddy comedy that offers no twists, no surprises, no charm, no charisma, and was completely blown out of the water by the studio that was once referred to as Pixar's little brother (Disney Animation).  This film has officially signaled the decline of Pixar (not in terms of revenue but in terms of quality).  Cars 2 was not a hiccup and Brave couldn't save Pixar if it turned out to be Beauty and the Beast.  The end had come.  And Pixar is most certainly not going out with a bang.  Let's just get over with it.

Plot: Set several years before the events of the first film, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) is a freshman at Monster University as a scare major in the hopes of becoming a great monster at Monsters Inc.  But he is constantly overshadowed by his fellow freshman James P. Sullivan (John Goodman), who feels that college would be a breeze for him and slacks off most of the first semester.  This draws intense criticism from the Dean of the university, Abigail Hardscrabble who decides to flunk them, Mike for not being scary and Sulley for being lazy.  But Mike proclaims that he can win by taking on the Scare Games, but now understands that he must join forces with Sulley in order for both of them to avoid expulsion and ultimately join the ranks of the great Monsters above them.  However, the only fraternity on campus that would take them is Oozma Kappa (the nerds), who Mike decides he has to train for the games so that they could achieve their dreams.

What's Bad?: Monsters University has many of the same problems as Brave had, only this time it's more insulting.  If fans of Brave called their film a homage to the Disney Classics that proceeded it and I was able to criticize that, I can also criticize those who say that this is an homage to the college comedy movie.  My problem with this is that Pixar's films were once original ideas.  Even their lesser films were original films (to a degree).  Finding Nemo was not an homage to anything, nor was Cars, WALL-E, Up, Toy Story, or The Incredibles.  They didn't homage or rip off anything.  They existed as their own entity while other people in the medium were relying on gimmicks and pop cultural references.  I'm willing to give the last film a chance because it was paying an homage to Disney storytelling, so long as that means I can trash this film for using every college comedy cliche imaginable (one's an overachiever the other's a slacker, the dean that doesn't understand them, the nerds vs the jocks competition, etc.).

Somewhere along the line, someone in the animation industry decided that people acting like complete assholes to each other was what friendships were built on.  This is not just a problem in motion picture.  In many animated shows nowadays, people think that the only way friends can be friends is if they act like scumbags to each other and just apologize (you know, the Anakin Skywalker effect).  Only a few shows can get away with it, mostly because they started out like this (Regular Show).  But why do Mike and Sulley have to act like such asses to each other throughout this movie.  It really makes me wonder how these two could have ended up such good friends in the original movie.  Imagine if a dynamic friendship like Timon and Pumbaa's was established on being a-holes to one another and using the other for selfish...wait bad example!  Imagine if Buzz and Woody...wait that's bad too.  Um... I got it!  Imagine if Pooh and Tigger were condescending asses to each other.  Yeah, that worked.

Another thing that bugs me is this whole notion that the two characters are striving to become the monsters at the beginning of the first film.  Meaning, they were trying to learn about how to be bigoted monsters that scare and think children are terrifying.  Why make a prequel that craps all over the message of the original film?

Oh, and reusing jokes?  Really?  Is that how low the humor levels in animation have fallen?  Unless the joke was extremely funny in the first film (which it wasn't, it was just a mildly comedic joke), this is a complete and utter waste of my time.  Where is the good comedy in films anymore?  I guess I'll have to fuel the fire for a Rant of the Month...

What's Good?: The only thing in this film that kind of entertained me was the dean.  Helen Mirram plays her off as this extremely strict woman who does not tolerate even the slightest bit of nonsense from either Mike or Sulley.  But even she gets nerfed by the plot of the movie, which makes her into the villain although these two have not deserved any credit from me yet (it's a prequel).

Overall: If this was Pixar's swan song, I want my money back!  I know they have a line of new films coming up with Inside Out premiering in a few weeks, but I am not convinced Pixar has warranted my trust with their recent film pool.  Cars 2 was unforgivable, Brave was passable, but this is where I draw the line.  When you insult a film I actually liked as a kid, this is where I say "adieu Pixar". Unless Inside Out is the greatest animated film they've come out with since Up, count me out!

Final Grade: 55 or F

Next Review: Antz
Then: The Prince of Egypt
Later: The Road to El Dorado
Finally: Chicken Run

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