"Monster University" Review

Rating: 7/10 (24 June 2013)

"Monsters University" has a simple and quite predictable story, as we already know that Mike and Sully will end up as friends at the end. However, the journey is more important than the destination and along the way we tackle themes of defying expectation. While the story is predictable, the writers and directors manage to throw a little surprise here and there. From some interesting character moments to laugh out loud situations. It's sort of light on heart, but the film is engaging enough and the movie gets better as it progresses.
The main characters, Mike and Sully, retain much of their charm in this prequel. Mike takes the lead in this recent outing. He's sweet, optimistic, and crazily dedicated. Sully is laid back, a slacker, and a bit insecure. However, it's great to see him develop into the master scarer he is in the original film. It's really fun to see how their relationship develops. Their constant bantering and butting of heads is fun to watch and the sweeter moments are endearing. There are some newer characters in the film as well and they add a lot of charm and humor to the film. My personal favorites are Art, a purple hairy monster with long legs, and Squishy, a awkwardly round monster, who gets some of the best laughs in the movie.
Aside from story, Pixar's greatest strength is animation and this film has some of their best. The colors are vibrant and the hair effects are fluid. The one down side are the character designs. The main cast is fine, but some of the background characters just aren't unique and look similar to one another. Randy Newman's score is effective for the movie, but lacks a memorable spark. The score is just filled with generic college music, but it still weaves in some interesting emotional bits.
Overall, "Monsters University" is a fun and enjoyable film. While it doesn't reach any emotional highs and the beginning is rocky, it has some really great laughs. The animation is top class even though some of the character designs are "meh" and the score is effective, but leaves more to be desired. It's a great way for Pixar to get back on track. I give it 3.5/5, great fun and an extremely enjoyable time.