Review: Monsters University

Review: Monsters University

Director: Dan Scanlon
Cast: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Helen Mirren, Nathan Fillion
Running Time: 110 Minutes.

Step aside kids, us adults have been waiting 12 years for this!

So is Monsters University, the prequel to (arguably) the most well-received Pixar movie since Toy Story, a roaring success or a damp squib? 

Well it all depends on how you look at it. Tonally, this particular story in the Monsters world feels like a complete departure from the original (possibly due to Disney's continued influence on the company), but the key components for a classic Pixar feature are all right there: quirky, colourful characters, an exciting storyline and a moral message that hits home for all ages. Those like myself who remember sitting in the cinema when Monsters Inc. was first released will be pleased to know that the origin stories of Mike and Sulley stay true to the characters for the most part.

Really though, the curse of the prequel still looms. There's no particular peril to be felt for the characters as we all know how they turn out in the end, and (you can blame George Lucas for this one if you like) there's simply no way that most prequels can be considered anywhere near as excellent as the originals which spawned them.

A damn shame really, because while Monsters University is a really enjoyable family movie in its own right, shouldn't the studio who brought us such incredible one-offs as WALL.E, Up and Ratatouille be focusing on more original material rather than (almost shamelessly) regressing into safer franchise territory?

An argument for another day perhaps. As it is, Monsters University takes us back to the early adulthoods of one-eyed Mike Wazowski and enormous blue bear James P. Sullivan. We begin with the former, whose determination to be a scarer brings him to the titular Monsters University, an educational institute for the best and brightest of the monster world. On the other hand, Sulley is a campus hotshot, the son of a world famous scarer. 

As with the best of cinematic friendships, the duo loathe each other in their first encounters before realizing that to win the ultimate university Scaring Contest, they'll have to put their differences aside and work together.

Cue a host of colourful side characters attempting to either help or hinder their cause, including a truly electric display of voice acting from Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble and the always entertaining Nathan Fillion as a typical campus jock in a rival fraternity. 

Still, critics will see these further additions to the cast as a simple merchandising ploy by Disney - there's no doubt that their infamous stores will be fully stocked up with "Young Mike" and "Young Sulley" toys for about £40 a pop, but at the same time it's hard not to love the creativity behind the characters.

You'll notice some very familiar faces indeed, with Randall (voiced once again by Steve Buscemi) and Roz keeping the die-hard Pixar fans happy. Keep an eye out for the former's hilarious motivational posters dotted around campus too: "The winds of change" in particular acting as a nice callback to the original.

These little touches lend a different, more culturally aware feel to Monsters University compared to Pixar's previous efforts and in many ways this is their stab at a college comedy. Whatever you say about the company, they are keeping in tune with their audience remarkably well - Toy Story 3 saw Andy leaving home for college. Monsters University sees an amusing take on life AT college, fraternities and parties et al. 

As for the central characters themselves, it does unfortunately take a while to tune in to their personalities once more. Sulley's characterization feels incredibly forced - painting him as the bad guy and Mike as the protagonist is a dodgy move on behalf of the writers and it's a very unequal way of telling the story. Still, John Goodman and Billy Crystal have incredibly entertaining chemistry as ever which keeps the characters feeling just as charismatic and enjoyable than they were 12 years ago.

Visually, Monsters University looks incredible. No studio does computer animation like Pixar, and no director could have pulled off the unbelievably authentic atmosphere like Dan Scanlon. From the swaying trees to the lengthy fields around campus, some wide shots even look real. 

Reality isn't the name of the game though, and Monsters University's escapism is sure to please both older fans of Pixar's legacy and smaller children about to enjoy these characters for the first time. Towards the end, particularly in a climactic sequence which sees Mike find his true calling, Pixar's expected moral message hits very hard indeed: just because you want something, that doesn't make it so.

Summary

It was a tough exam, but luckily Pixar have passed: Monsters University succeeds as both an exciting prequel to the 2001 animated classic and as an entertaining buddy comedy in its own right. Of course as Summer entertainment it makes the grade despite some narrative inconsistencies, but there's still a nagging feeling that Pixar could be doing so much better right now. Still, at least they're never making Toy Story 4, right? Right?

8/10 - Great

See it if you liked: Monsters Inc. (2001), How To Train Your Dragon (2010), Toy Story 3 (2010)