Big Hero 6 Review

From Disney Animation, the studio that brought us Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph, comes Big Hero 6, the Oscar Winning film that is an adaptation of a Marvel comic book.

Big Hero 6 follows 14-year-old robotics genius Hiro Hamada, who, after certain events, which are inexplicably spoiled in the trailer, forms a team and uses their intellect to build super powered suits to battle the antagonist. 

Note: If you have no interest in the comic book differences and Japanese influences, skip to the next part of the review. 

Despite having not read a Big Hero 6 comic, I read a lot about the comic and how the film changes many aspects. Obviously, the comic is not a kid's comic; therefore, the film changed virtually everything to make it family friendly film. Knowing that the film would be entirely different, the alternation of the source material is not an issue for me, aside from the general flaws with the film. 

One difference is that the comic is set in Japan with mostly Japanese characters. The film is set in a hybrid of San Francisco and Tokyo, San Fransokyo that blends a few stylistic elements of Japan into the visuals, specifically the architecture. Unfortunately, the similarities to Japanese culture end there with only an occasional reference to Japan. If you somehow do not already know, I am a Japanese anime enthusiast, and I have a layman's knowledge of the culture from various sources, so I would say that about 10% of the film's visual aesthetic is influenced by Japan with the rest being the typical Disney flick. The character designs are do have a slight anime style, although, so did Frozen, which makes sense since Disney's early animation is the reason for anime's visual style.

Directed by: Don Hall, Chris Williams
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Adventure, Comic Book, Sci-Fi,
Release Date: November 7, 2014
Running Time: 102 minutes
MMPA rating: PG

The Good: Expectedly high quality animation, Brother relationship, Baymax is genuinely likable and hilarious,

The Bad: Cop-out ending, Predictable, Clichéd 3rd Act,

Plot: 4.4/10- The overall plot follows a familiar family film narrative structure with certain events that set the main character on their journey and a resolution that completely cops-out on the point of the film (more on that later). You could say that I am being too hard on it since it is, after all, a film intended for children and families. My rebuttable is that I am tired of giving a film a pass for being a family flick; however, if you are only interested in entertaining your kids, then yes, this is a great pick. With that out of the way, let's actually critique the film.

The first hour or so is where the film is at its best with it focusing more on the events that lead Hiro to form his team. The plot of those sections might not be anything special, but it is well paced and entertaining. During this first hour, I was enjoying it, and hoped that it would continue this above average story to the end...

Unfortunately, as with most family flicks, the plot goes for the predictable route in the final act. We have seen this final act in nearly every family film: the characters come together and confront the antagonist. *Possible Spoiler* The ending itself starts as something unexpected, but of course, it takes the happy ending route after trying to fake you out. It is far from a bad ending, but rather an issue with family films in general. *End Spoiler*

Old comic books are generally "family friendly" by today's standards, at least Marvel’s, so why couldn't the writers draw from those comics, not necessarily Big Hero 6, to create a story that is different? I only watch the best and most popular new family films, and it is the exact same thing that I have seen so many times.

Characterization: 7.3/10- Hiro Hamada is a typical, albeit likable, boy genius archetype. The only standout aspect of the characters is his relationship with his brother Tadashi. The bond, which is only featured briefly in the 1st Act, is the best aspect of the film. Unfortunately, there is not nearly enough of it.

Baymax is the star of the film; no question. He is a ton of fun to watch, and the character's antics are genuinely funny.
The rest of the team are all generic and forgettable. None of the characters stand out for being anything other than goofy. The antagonist is typical and his motives are nothing original.

Acting: 7.0/10- The entire cast is as good as to be expected with no standout performances.

Animation: 8.5/10- Disney Animation continues to deliver high quality work with their 3D animation. The visuals for the powers are the most impressive in the film, and the slight eastern aesthetic is always welcome, albeit underused.

Soundtrack: 7.5/10- Henry Jackman's score is fittingly heroic with many fun tracks.

Humor: 7.8/10- For an animated family flick, the humor is above-average. However, aside from Baymax's scenes, the jokes do not really work.

Entertainment Value: 7.7/10- Big Hero 6 is an overall enjoyable experience, although not one that I am interested to see again for a long time.

Overall: 6.7/10- With its exciting visuals and just enough heart to be worthwhile, Big Hero 6 is a fun film for the whole family, despite falling into the same clichés that we have seen so many times in the past.

Closing comments: Good job to the guys who chose Big Hero 6 over the Lego Movie for the Academy Awards; you really screwed it up!

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Frozen Review

Frozen, the movie that almost everyone loves and the highest grossing film of 2013. 

Frozen follows Anna and her sister Elsa, the next queen of Arendelle, who has magical ice powers. After an incident, Anna tries to track down her sister Elsa to save the land from an eternal winter, and meets various fun characters along the way. Frozen is the type of movie that has some truly excellent elements, yet is ultimately hampered by some weak writing and under developed characters. Due to Frozen’s popularity and critical praise, I am conflicted on how deeply I should look into the film, since it is a kid's film.

Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee,

Genre: Fantasy, Animation, Musical, 

Release Date: November 27, 2013

Running Time: 102 minutes

MMPA rating: PG

The Good: Beautiful animation, Likable characters (albeit not well developed), Subverts a few clichés, Appealing character designs, "Let it Go" is actually catchy, Olaf is surprisingly hilarious, One great moment, Strong performances, (mostly) Excellent ending,

The Bad: Not enough Elsa, Troll scenes are unnecessary, Too many musical numbers, Weak plot points, Slow first 20 minutes,

Plot: 6.3/10- Frozen's plot has numerous valid problems if you think about it too much. While some of them I did not even think about a lot of points until someone mentioned it, I almost want gave the movie some significant slack considering that it is a children's film and a musical. 

The plot is simple enough, with little explanation of the fantasy elements, although that is typical of the genre. The musical aspect of the film tends to hinder the film from telling a story as effectively as it could have been. For the example, the movie has about 20 minutes of songs before the plot takes effect, and that time could have been used to develop the characters, thus taking Frozen from a solid family film, to a really great movie. Also, there is a scene with Trolls that is 99% superfluous, and should have been cut from the film. If about half the songs were cut out, the movie could have improved the plot, granted, I usually cannot stand musicals. Despite these problems, my favorite aspect of the movie is how it unexpectedly subverts typical clichés towards the end, and the plot twists are hinted at slightly, but not enough to make it obvious what is going to happen. Also, the second half of the movie, which does not feature as many songs, is the best part of the movie.

Characterization: 7.2/10- Frozen has some surprisingly fun and likable characters. However, most of the characters really need more development, but again, for a Disney kids’ film, they are fleshed out just barely enough to make them enjoyable to watch.

Elsa is a character that has potential for being a truly great character, if only she had more screen time. Despite the lack of screen time, she is the best part of the movie thanks to her visually stunning scenes and anti-hero type character (but seriously, she is in the movie less than 20 minutes!). Anna, who receives the most screen time, is quirky and cute in a likable way, although her naïveté is a bit much. Having not seen Tangled, I cannot comment on whether or not she is a copy of Rapunzel. Kristoff's character ranges from occasionally cool to a little annoying. Surprisingly, the comic-relief character, Olaf, is the best part of the movie. He is funny, likable, and an all around good character.

Action: 6.5/10- Of course Frozen is not an action film by any means, however, it does have a few entertaining chase sequences bolstered by the brilliant animation.

Acting: 8.5/10- Unlike a lot of other eastern animated films, the voice acting in Frozen is actually taken seriously, at least with the principle cast. Despite her limited screen time, Idina Menzel is the standout best in the film as Elsa. Kristen Bell sells the quirkiness of Anna surprisingly well, even if the script has her do some dumb things. Josh Gad is another standout as Olaf. The rest of the cast, with the exception of the Trolls, are solid, and I want to give a special shoutout to Firefly vet Alan Tudyk as the Duke of Weselton. 

Art Style: 9.7/10- Even though 2D animation will always rival 3D in my mind, Disney Animation is the best in the business in the 3D department. Frozen looks positively beautiful with some of the most stunning animation to date, particularly the animation for the ice and snow. Seriously, Elsa's powers are awesome. The character designs, for the female characters in particular, are rather appealing, even if three of the characters look very similar.   

You're willing to sacrifice our love

You never take advice

Someday you'll pay the price

Sorry, couldn't resist a Foreigner reference...

Granted, no one probably gets it.

Soundtrack: 7.0/10- First off, I cannot stand musicals. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is the only one that I have ever truly enjoyed. 

That being said, Frozen did have a couple of songs that did not detract from the film. The Oscar winning "Let it Go" is fun and catchy enough, and believe it or not, I have managed to avoid listening to it before seeing the film. But as discussed earlier, the movie is hindered by the amount of songs, some of which are not that great or add nothing for the story. However, take my opinion with a grain of salt since I dislike musicals in general.

Humor: 8.0/10- For a family animated film, Frozen's humor is shockingly not a hindrance. Olaf is actually hilarious most of the time, while the other character’s humor is hit or miss. In fact, I laugh out loud a few times while watching the movie.

Entertainment Value: 7.2/10- Considering that I am not the demographic for the film, especially with my dislike of musicals, Frozen managed to entertain me a lot more than I ever expected, but that is largely due to the animation and Olaf. 

Overall: 7.2/10- Frozen is the type of film that has some excellent elements, but is undermined by missed opportunities and occasionally dumb writing. Despite its flaws, Frozen is still a solid movie and the fact that a kid’s film is even making me put so much thought into its flaws is probably worth something, plus that animation is just gorgeous!

Closing comments: If you absolutely love Frozen, that is perfectly fine. It is not intended for my demographic, so I can understand why some people love it.

Recommended for: Animation fans, Musical fans, Disney fans,

Please check back tomorrow for my review of The Wind Rises.

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Frozen vs The Wind Rises: You Decide

Frozen and The Wind Rises, the two most highly regarded animated features of last year, and at the Oscars this past March, they dueled for the Best Animated Feature Award. While Frozen might have won the Oscar, is it really the best animated film of last year? Today you, the reader, will decide which film you think should have won the Oscar, and on Monday and Tuesday I will post my full review of both films so that you will know what my opinion of which film should have won. Of course, many readers probably have yet to see The Wind Rises, and if that is the case, just vote for Frozen, or go watch The Wind Rises. Now let the battle begin!

In this corner we have the fourth highest grossing film of all-time, Frozen! From Disney Animation and directors, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, Frozen is a fantasy musical, and since I am sure almost everyone has seen the film, a plot summary is unnecessary. 

Across the ring we have the final film from legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, and one of Studio Ghibli's most recent features, The Wind Rises! The Wind Rises follows Jiro Horikoshi, the man responsible for designing several of Japan's airplanes used during World War II, most notably the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. It follows Jiro from his childhood to the role he played in designing the machines of war.

Which do you prefer? Is there another animated film from last year that you think should have won? Or do you abstain? Please comment and check back tomorrow for my review of Frozen followed by my Wind Rises review on Tuesday.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.