Great movie, but not exceptional

Rating: 8/10 (22 July 2015)

I went into Inside Out with pretty high hopes. I had heard from podcast people and critics that this movie was absolutely fantastic and I agree. I think it was a good movie, creative, great to look at, and had funny and sad moments. I just didn't connect with it as much as I wanted to. I think that could have something to do with that fact that I'm 19, so I don't really have that parental experience that I think grown ups connected with and I'm too old to relate to the emotions that I went though as a kid. I think one of the reasons why I felt a little disappointed is because I expect these epic or beautiful adventures from Pixar now. I don't really think this adventure was very epic. I never felt the sense that if they died or if they didn't succeed in their task, the world would end. Although I agree emotions are powerful, I didn't really think Riley's running away was drastic. It was also so predictable that I think that ruined any kind of suspense that the movie could have had. I also felt like the emotions besides Joy, Sadness, and the imaginary friend weren't fleshed out enough. They all seemed like comic reliefs and if they weren't in the story, it wouldn't have changed the plot. I know I sound like I'm attacking this movie but I did like it! I thought it was a beautiful movie and certainly had moving parts. I liked the characters and the message, but it just didn't personally stick with me compared to Wall-e, Up, or Toy Story which are the kinds of powerful movies I expect from Pixar now. I feel like this is a movie that could be particularly good for parents and kids because those are the two age groups that have a strong connection to the characters. Maybe in a few years I'll find this more moving, but at my stage in life I wasn't as satisfied with it as I wanted to be.