written by dhayes22 on 13/10/2009
I have seen a few Pixar movies including Finding Nemo and The Incredibles but I don't happen to think that Pixar is the best thing since sliced bread as most film critics and indeed the box office takings for their films suggest other people do.
Still, a friend asked me to go see it who had seen a special screening and said it was great. We decided to go and see it in 3D at the IMax in London's Southbank. Not cheap at £13.80 a ticket!
The movie is an animated tale about a grumpy old widower, a former balloon salesman, whose wife has died and rather than face the ignominy of having to live in an old peoples' home decides to float his house off to Venezuela instead. Along for the ride is an Asian-American wilderness explorer kid who accidentally gets taken along for the ride when the house takes off.
Up is a sort of odd-couple buddy movie between the grumpy old man and the nerdy kid. When they eventually land in South America they befriend a bizarre parrot/ostrich cross and a talking dog. The story arc is around this motley group avoiding capture by an evil adventurer voiced by Christopher Plummer and a race to get the house in place before all the balloons burst.
During the story the team learn lessons such as the value of loyalty, the importance of human relationships over possessions and the importance of never letting go of your dreams.
I came away from it rather liking it but thinking it was an animated movie designed for adults rather than kids which is no bad thing. The first 10 minutes are almost dialogue free and focus on the themes of love and loss. And the emotions in the movie are almost all too sophisticated for kids to grasp.
What wasn't so great was the 3D animation. Only certain parts of the movie have 3D applied and whilst admittedly good when it's applied it didn't really justify the huge ticket price.
I would say go see it but if you have read all of the rave reviews you should lower your expectations just a notch or two.
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