Very Creative

Rating: 9/10 (28 November 2001)

I had heard a lot about this before I went (which I hate), but it was still a pleasant surprise. What I loved was the workaday world of the monsters with their factory, their doors, their business, so like the corporate life of the non-monster world. The character's have gentleness, commitment, and a positive view of the world. While some of it is scary (the whole premise of monsters in the closet is scary anyway), it walks a nice line between being too saccharine and too violent. There are some great lines, and the imaginative world created and based on the scream/energy concept is quite clever. For those that take three year olds to movies, I don't know many that don't have something that would upset someone this age. This film is about monsters. They can't be too tame or they will lose their monsterness.
While there are harsh things, the closing scene is done with great sympathy and on terms that we can all live with. It is also about risk taking to do the right thing. This is not Citizen Kane but it sure ain't bad.