It's tough to beat the sheer entertainment found in a Pixar movie. Sure, they've not all been to the standard of Toy Story, but they're very rarely sub-par. With this latest release, the animation studio has proven once again that they're truly unbeatable when it comes to making films for all audiences, with Inside Out managing to tell a relatable, incredibly original story filled with funny and likeable characters.
The plot to Inside Out is probably one of the most original I've heard of, and is a considerable reason why the movie is as special as it is. Basically, the film depicts how everybody has emotions embodied within their head, who cooperate to make us function and act the way we do. Focusing on a young girl called Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), we get to see Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyliss Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling), as they try to keep Riley's emotions in check. However, when Riley's family leave their hometown of Massachusetts to live in San Francisco, things begin to go awry. I won't give away too much more of the plot, because I went in to the film not knowing much, and that's how it should be. Just know that while there's plenty of character interaction and humour that adults will enjoy, there's also a great, adventurous story within Inside Out that kids will appreciate just as much. The best part about the film, however, is the voice acting behind the characters themselves. Anybody familiar with The Office (U.S.) will instantly recognise Sadness and and Disgust as Phyliss and Kelly from that show, respectively. Bill Hader as Fear is also hugely entertaining, and the other emotions don't lack in talent either. If anything, the fact that they're so entertaining eventually becomes detrimental to the movie, because there's just not enough time to focus on everything.
Visually, Inside Out is an absolute joy. The HQ that the emotions live in is imaginative and colourful, and this is only heightened once you get to see other parts of Riley's mind. All of the characters also look exactly how you'd expect (Sadness is always blue, for example), and this all comes together to make a movie that's just fun to watch. In fact, there's not really a huge deal you could find wrong with Inside Out. The story may lack any weighty surprises, but it's easy to follow and provides a great grounding for the rest of the movie to grow off of. A personal complaint that isn't exactly a negative on the movie's part is that there's some hilarious moments when you see into other people's minds and how they are controlled, though these were all left until the very end in a montage sequence. Littering these throughout the movie might have led to more consistent laughs, but there's still plenty of humour that made everybody genuinely laugh out loud. Verdict There's not a great deal more to say about Inside Out, because it's a solid Pixar movie: If you're a fan of Pixar, then you'll love it. With an imaginative idea that's fleshed out and populated with interesting characters, there's very little to dislike in this movie. It's not quite up there with Toy Story, but it's slightly above Wreck-It Ralph. Definitely worth a watch.
Instead of a quote, I thought I'd post this trailer
to the movie, because it's a great indication of what
I desperately want to like Jurassic World. Chris Pratt is great, dinosaurs are cool, and the Jurassic series is beloved by many - the original being the best, naturally. And at times, I really did enjoy this fourth instalment. However, for every moment of Jurassic World that entertained, there was a handful of inane, eye-rolling scenes that dragged the film down as a whole.
Set twenty-two years after the events of the original Jurassic Park, the film shows how John Hammond's vision from that movie has finally been realised. Ignoring the deaths caused by the dinosaurs a few decades prior, a grand theme park has now been opened on Isla Nublar, along with all the grandeur that that brings. Triceratops petting-zoos and Sea World-esque exhibits draw in guests, but there's always something bigger and better being worked on in order to drum up hype for the park. This comes in the form of a new dinosaur that is created from the DNA of other animals, and is more deadly than anything seen before. As expected, one thing leads to another, and soon the new beast is roaming the park, hunting anything in its path.
Sounds cool, right? I thought that too. Couple this with the aforementioned presence of Chris Pratt as a Dino-whisperer, and some truly spectacular dinosaurs envisioned on-screen, and you'd think that you have yourself a brilliant return to form for the Jurassic series. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The movie tries to spin this spectacular world of beasts around the developing relationship of two brothers, and in doing so, becomes predictable and clichéd. A perfect example of this is an early juxtaposition which transitions from cool dinosaurs to a conversation between the brothers about whether their parents will get divorced. It's ham-fisted, and genuinely funny in how awkward it makes the film feel.
Then, eventually, you get back to the engaging, exciting moments which you'd hoped for. Chris Pratt bonding with Velociraptors, only for his relationship with them to be truly tested when an assistant falls into the exhibit is exciting and tense, and exactly the kind of thing I'd wanted to see. Cut back to the eldest of the two brothers being apathetic and downright nasty to his younger sibling, and that excitement is immediately destroyed. In trying to create relatable moments that keep the story grounded, Jurassic World succeeds in nothing but a lessening of the experience.
And to be perfectly honest, if Chris Pratt wasn't in the movie, then there'd be little to rave about. Cementing his presence as a genuinely likeable guy with Guardians of the Galaxy, he manages to make the film at least a little enjoyable. Though the relationship between Pratt's character Owen and the stereotypical businesswoman Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is forced - like most in the film - it's far from the worst aspect of the movie. This isn't a particularly positive point in the film's favour, though: Jurassic World shouldn't need Pratt in order to make it bearable.
Owen (Chris Pratt)
As a little side note, it's also disappointing how much CGI the film relied upon, considering how much the original asserted the use of practical effects to remain relevant even today. It's not uncommon for modern blockbusters to be CGI-heavy, and I don't consider this an automatic negative for a movie. With Jurassic World however, it just seems such a waste, because the 1993 original showed how animatronics and practical effects can easily rival dinosaurs generated by a computer. That's not to say that practical dinosaurs and effects aren't found in the movie, it's just that they're heavily outweighed by their computer generated counterparts. Verdict Jurassic World was so close to being really great. If the film literally cut half of the scenes that pitifully tried to push family relationships, then it would be a far better, albeit very short movie. There's elements of it such as the dinosaurs and action scenes that show what could have been, which is why the aforementioned 'character development' moments feel so stilted and unnecessary. Having the two brothers hate eachother, only to rekindle their relationship isn't interesting or fresh; it's boring. If you planned on seeing this film already or if you're a huge fan of the series, then it's probably worth checking out. Otherwise, you're better off waiting for the DVD, or seeing if it ends up on Netflix in a year.
