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Topic~ BCT's Epic 169 Movie Watch-Through (mostly '00s): Topic 1 [THE LIST] ~
BlueCrystalTear
09/24/22 11:48:18 PM
#36:


I didn't even last the first quarter, nor do I want to know the final score. It got gory QUICKLY. Also, I may be high...? There's a weird smell of drugs permeating the building. Somebody's getting evicted.

So I wanted to do something more lighthearted once again.... and I thought I'd just, out of nowhere, watch something not on THE LIST. Something that makes a lot of sense, though. Something that I think nobody's gonna mind me watching because it might have received some nominations anyway. And like I said: I want to watch same-series movies relatively close together, and I was just feelin' it after last night.

Monsters University (2013)
Directed by: Dan Scanlon
Written by: Dan Garson, Dan Scanlon, Robert Baird
Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Helen Mirren, Steve Buscemi
Previous status: Never seen

"How do I become a scarer?"

Hot off yesterday's enjoyment, I thought I'd go ahead and watch the prequel that was made with the idea that you'd seen the original movie in mind.... while still being enjoyable on its own, for kiddos who hadn't yet been procreated 12 years prior.

This gives a LOT of backstory for everybody - particularly notable that Mike Wazowski (I can't help but say his full name) wanted to be a scarer himself. I knew immediately why he ended up being a support person: Kids didn't find him scary. They found him funny. This is why, when the company switched over to laughs, he was one of the first comedians hired.

The first twist is that Mike Wazowski has a roommate who's also a scaring major... Randall Boggs, who is a geek with glasses, rather diminutive, and actually seems like a decent guy at first. He doesn't want to use his invisibility cloak for... some reason. When him appearing out of nowhere with a roar is legitimately petrifying. There's also a retcon that Mike and Sulley knew each other before. And Sulley is a dick because his father is a legend and he just thinks he has it made.... and him not thinking Mike has a chance. This is why Mike is studying. He needs to compensate for his size. Sulley's arrogance gets him deservedly flunked out by the headmistress... and Mike does too, because he's just not scary. Mike's testicular fortitude is certainly something, but it leads to him and Sulley having a completely different relationship. This is all fascinating. So is the start of the Sulley/Boggs rivalry.

One thing I notice is that this movie's early going's not as joyous as the original, but it's better in the character development department - at least for the major characters. This is quickly rectified, thankfully, with Squishy's mom interrupting the initiation to do laundry, since the frat house is his mom's house, and then the disastrous first event.... with the predictable DQ. Also predictable: The party being a trap by the bullies. Story of my life. This is why my biggest pet peeve is people. For being judgmental pricks and putting others into buckets. I get ostracized based on the way I look all the time. Trying to prove people wrong gets tiring. That said, Mike actually does it - and it turns out even the announcers were rooting for him, as the unexpected Cinderella story. Sulley.... rigged the machine for the maximum effect.... to get back in the scaring program since he didn't think his team could do it, especially himself. That's a Randall Boggs maneuver, y'know. Mike then tries to prove himself using the campus door chamber and gets caught at a girls' summer camp cabin... welp. Sulley comes to the rescue, tells Mike the full truth, and the two of them pull an insane stunt to scare the shit out of FIVE PARK RANGERS. Y'know, adults, which then causes all the equipment in the room on the other side to go ballistic. The guys get expelled... because there's nothing left for them to learn if they can do that. This leads to them quickly rising through the ranks of Monsters Inc and becoming an unstoppable scare team. Randall... sorta became an afterthought here.

In the end, all this was good. For what it is, it's good - but there's something missing from this that was present in the original. This prequel was written with a different viewpoint - focus more on writing intrigue than witty dialogue. This produced a very engrossing climax, but it did so at expense of how tightly written and thoroughly comedic the original was. This is not one of Pixar's best films, but it's still Pixar. It's still better than anything Disney's main studio did between (but not including) Emperor's New Groove and Frozen. I still can't decide between a 3 and a 4, so I'll just do a 3.5/5. I didn't want to do half-stars but... guess that needs to happen sometimes.

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Come check out my movie watchthrough topic:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80167031
... Copied to Clipboard!
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