Monsters University

I just saw Monsters University the other night. Very impressive movie, I'd recommend it to anybody. I might even review it on the next episode of the Solmatter Show.  The story follows a young Mike Wazowski, who from childhood is inspired to become a Scarer, a prestigious job title to hold in the monster world. Arguably the best place to study to become a Scarer is the titular Monsters University, home of the legendary Dean Hardscrabble's Scare Program.

Aside from Hardscrabble having one of the most awe-inspiring character designs I've seen from the monster world, right away the geniuses at Pixar make it clear that although she becomes antagonistic to Wazowski, she's not a villain. In her opinion, scariness is something you are born with, a trait held by good ol' James Sullivan.

Young Sulley is a character we've all met, someone who doesn't have to work hard to be good at what he does, which happens to be scaring. Mike and Sulley quickly find themselves at odds with each others' views on what it takes to be a scarer. The movie plays off of the contrast between Mike and Sulley all while throwing interestingly relatable college situations at the viewer. A great strength of the movie is its fresh and holistic take on university life and how funny it can be; the film certainly doesn't fall back on typical college jokes or crazy Superbad-esque scenarios.  Characters are vivid and fresh; archetypes that a lesser storytelling team would probably generalize are made into specific individuals that feel quite unique. And of course, the movie is visually stunning, especially as an artist that has an idea of what goes into each shot with regard to materials, effects, and lighting.

You know that feeling when you watch a movie and you realize that so much care and thought went into it? Get ready for that.

I won't go into any unnecessary plot details until perhaps my video review, but between the superb cinematography, pacing, excellent color palette, snappy dialogue, and beautifully placed nods to Monsters Inc, this movie is definitely worth checking out.