Monsters University – ★★★

Over a decade ago, Pixar released its fourth major animated film in the form of Monsters Inc (2001) which told the story of two harmless monster friends who had to frantically hide a human child from their employers. The charming and much-loved hit is still regarded as one of the studio’s great productions with talk of a sequel always being on the cards throughout the years. But that idea has changed with Pixar instead opting to go back in time and focus on the educational lives of Mike and Sulley with original voice actors Billy Crystal and John Goodman back on board for the inventive (if possibly unnecessary) prequel Monsters University….

SYNOPSIS: Set before the events of Monsters Inc, the film focuses on a young Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) as he dreams of becoming a scarer. A few years later, he joins Monsters University but faces a tricky semester which not only comes from his lack of scariness but also a personal feud with future friend Sulley (John Goodman). But when the pair accidentally destroy a sacred item that belongs to the uptight Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), they get expelled from all Scare Classes. However they reluctantly reunite when they have to team up with a group of awkward and inoffensive monsters to compete in a college competition called the Scare Games. If they triumph, the pair will be allowed back on their course but should they fail, then they will be expelled permanently.

Prequels are becoming more familiar and recognised with film audiences these days and Monsters University is no exception. Director Dan Scanlon and his team at Pixar succeed in depicting Mike and Sulley’s roots as they build the core of the story on their up-and-down friendship. While the pair were best of buds in Monsters Inc, their relationship in the backstory is a complete contrast as both characters experience different attitudes in educational life with Mike being the hard-working loner desperate to be a top scarer while Sulley is depicted as lazy and arrogant. Having the pair team up with a new group of hopeless monsters known as the Oozma Kappas is also an inspired move by the writers with young audiences being able to relate to the togetherness of these lovable characters during their involvement in the Scare Games. Unsurprisingly as the Games go on, Mike and Sulley finally begin to accept each other and eventually bond together which is great testament to their future friendship. The emotional stability of their union is, as you would expect, tested in the film’s final act as Mike desperately tries to prove his ‘scaring’ potential in a dark sequence beyond the human door. We can just be thankful that we know everything turns out well for the duo in the end! It is to the great credit of voice actors Billy Crystal and John Goodman that they are able to display their impeccable talent for voice acting and make the characters even more vivid and comical while also demonstrating poignancy. Dame Helen Mirren is a pleasant surprise as she puts plenty of menace and superiority to her role as the uptight and intimidating Dean Hardscrabble. As well as having heart, the film does contain the batch of visual gags to leave the kids happy with various laughs and thrills added on to keep up the entertainment. The Scar Games provide exhilarating animated scenes such as the monster teams having to overcome spiky obstacles and a later round which sees them having to quietly sneak past a monstrous librarian. As for the humour, young audiences will have fun watching a slug student ‘racing’ to a lecture or teenage viewers getting a glimpse of university life via a different form of species. There are also subtle hints to the classic original which range from a few popular cameos to the appearance of Monsters Incorporated itself as it plays a key role in various sections of this film.

However the main problem with some prequels is that any character involved in the original film will obviously survive even when facing danger. We all know that Mike, Sulley and Randall will get out of this film alive which is what takes away the element of surprise here. On the subject of the latter character, his transition from geeky roommate of Mike’s to jumping ship and joining the popular team halfway in the film is something you would expect for a slimy individual like him to do yet his reasoning for holding a grudge against our heroes feels somewhat anti-climatic and makes you wish he had been developed more. As you would expect, there are also the usual cliches to the narrative that set in particularly the Scare Games plot which has Mike, Sulley and the Oozma Kappas being the hapless underdogs who (surprise, surprise) end up silencing a few critics during their competing in the tournament. Any film that focuses on this particular storyline involving failures and geeks (e.g. Animal House, Revenge of the Nerds) is bound to end up being predictable not just in films but also books and computer games.

VERDICT: School’s out for our two favourite monster buddies in this surprisingly rewarding outing which may lack the brilliance of its superior original but delves into important issues and is certainly a worthwhile viewing for Pixar fans.

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