Travels in hyper-reality (and a spoiler warning).

Rating: Null/10 (20 February 2002)

There are moments in this film that will make any sane person gasp in awe. The computer graphics (which, according to one IMDB reviewer, require "no talent" to create) are astounding. Certain shots (close-ups of lights, for example, or the entire scene in the snow) are both incredibly "real-looking" while simultaneously "artificial". The main character's fur is worth the price of admission in itself: it is a marvellous feat of the graphic arts. So real that you want to reach out and touch its wispy, floaty, dreamy depths. The climax, involving millions of doors to the "real" world, is simply fantastic - both in its imaginative qualities and its emotional impact. Of course, this being the fourth instalment in Pixar's travels in hyper-reality, the novelty has worn off slightly. Never again will we feel that virginal buzz (geddit?) of "Toy Story" with its remarkable, shiny, tactile, other-worldly glow. No computer-animated (a misnomer, by the way: these films are animated by humans not computers) movie after that can ever have the same effect. Which does not mean that "MI" is a disappointment. Far from it: after the - yes - disappointing "Bug's Life" and the strangely forgettable "TS2" this is a definite return to form. "MI" tells the story of Sully and his pal who work for "Monsters Inc", scaring kids to use their screams as a source of power for their world. Which is a pretty cool idea, really. There are no prizes for originality when it comes to the rest of the story, I'm afraid, but it doesn't matter, because the movie is so gag-packed, so enjoyable, so light and refreshing and entertaining and innocent and clever and spectacular that if it doesn't win the Osc*r for best animated feature then there ain't no justice. Oh, and if "Shrek" wins, then there will be serious trouble. It's interesting to compare the two, in fact: "Shrek" is a clever-clever, movie-references-packed, up-to-the-minute gag-fest that, in a few years' time, will appear hopelessly dated. "MI" is a simple, beautiful, intelligent, witty and fast-paced kids' adventure that will look fresh and inventive when it appears on TV every Christmas for ever. And there, my friends, you have it. In an age where Hollywood usually means crass ineptitude, it's heart-warming indeed to see that someone out there is still making great movies for kids of all ages. If "Monsters Inc." were a live-action or "traditionally" animated movie it would be just as good. And that is its real strength: it relies not on great visuals (though they are great) but such unfashionable qualities as intelligence, wit, economy, imagination and inventiveness.