Even Better Than Shrek The Third! ;)

Rating: 10/10 (2 June 2009)

I'm starting to realize something...Pixar makes good movies. Having avoided all trailers and commercials for this one myself, I'm not sure how much you know about it before going in, so I'll try to tread lightly on the spoilers.
Up is about an old man on a journey to Paradise Falls (why, well that's something you need to watch to find out) using balloons tied to his house. He didn't plan on a young boy coming along for the ride though, and as you might be able to guess he's not too happy about it... That's pretty much the basic plot. Obviously this is Pixar, so the story goes much deeper, and characters aren't just cookie cutter.
The first 20 or so minutes of this movie reminded me of WallE in a lot of ways, one being that there's hardly any dialog, another being that those 20 minutes are better than just about every other movie to come out this year so far. All it took was 20 little minutes for me to care about Carl. That's not to say the rest of this movie is bad, far from it, but it does have a different tone (including some bits that were kind of shocking for a family film). That difference comes in the form of a fat little boy scout named Russell. The movie kind of takes on the form of a buddy comedy for the next act, and it's thoroughly entertaining. Throw in the best cartoon dog ever, a funny giant bird, some heartfelt moments, and you have a potential classic in the making. And then Act 3 introduces the danger...I found some of this to be the weakest part of the movie, but it's nothing bad, it's just...a tad, average. However, there is one beat during the 3rd Act that just tore me apart...absolutely gutted me. It's the kind of thing that elevates a movie from entertaining, to magical. The movie finishes up with a pretty exciting action set, followed by yet another heart tugging moment that might even effect the best of us in girly ways.
Yeah, I know this review has been incredibly vague, but I felt this movie is one worth seeking out and for you to not know too much about it. It's been a full day since I've seen it, and I've grown even fonder of it in that short time.
Highly Recommended. A+