Monday, June 21, 2010
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Monday, June 21, 2010
MOVIE REVIEW
Toy Story 3
Imagining Lovely Toys Toying
Lovingly With Your Imagination
A Fisher-Price-less moment: Woody and Chatter Phone in "Toy Story 3", which opened
this past weekend across the U.S. and Canada.
Disney/Pixar
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Monday, June 21, 2010
"Toy Story 3" is visually spectacular, often the best-looking film of the year.
Director Lee Unkrich gets the animated children's drama off to a flying,
colorful start with a grand opening seven minutes. Its final seven minutes
are equally as strong, a moving tribute to childhood memories.
The 90-plus minutes between these two sequences however are troublesome.
"Toy Story 3" abandons its dazzling opening and mires its story in less
invigorating terrain. The new film is about the toys (Woody, Buzz and co.)
searching for a new home as Andy, their human custodian heads off to college.
It is important to note: I've seen neither "Toy Story" nor "Toy Story 2".
(The new film was viewed in 2D, not the 3D that is available, although that
won't likely make a difference.) I've said this before, but if a sequel
has to be better appreciated based on any strength of its predecessors then
that's a bad sign. "Toy Story 3", like any sequel, should be viewed on its
own merits. On that basis, the film, while an artistic delight, lacks the
consistency and engagement that its opening promises and its closing regains.
Despite the visuals, amazing detail and distinct toys (Lotso Hugs Bear in
particular) and their plaintive expressions (note Woody), "Toy Story 3" shifts
tonally a number of times before finding itself near the end.
The tone changes feel like a teddy bear being pulled apart by two competing kids
vying for its possession. Under the stress, the bear is finally ripped
apart, and what we see on the big screen in the intervening hour-plus are all of
the sponge pieces that tumble out of it in different shapes, sizes and colors.
In short, too many distractions occupy the film, and the juggling act to keep
everything together is an adventure in itself.
There's a brooding storm cloud hankering over some of this third installment.
There's a diversion involving a character speaking a different language for no
good reason other than a cheap laugh. (Wouldn't it be a good idea to
populate "Toy Story 3" or any of its future sequels with some toys that
legitimately speak other languages, rather than go the lazy, ethnocentric
"let's-poke a little fun-at-people-who-don't speak English" route for
entertainment?)
Lighten up, Mr. Serious: this is a comedy and you haven't even seen the
other two films! Answer? That should hardly matter.
One thing cannot be denied. For a while, a few singular moments put "Toy
Story 3" in a special place, a make-believe of many enchanting and exciting
yesterdays that audiences will be thrilled, riveted and overjoyed by. Kids
will love Mr. Unkrich's film. Adults will marvel at and recall some of the toys, a few
of which arrived long before the days of Cabbage Patch Mania.
Sadly though, it
takes a huge chunk of a film to torpedo itself into a strange submission.
The house of cards tumbles. Granted, I was wowed
at times, but far from impressed.
With the voices of: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, John
Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn,
Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, Michael Keaton, Jodi Benson, John Morris, Laurie
Metcalf.
"Toy Story 3" is rated G by the Motion Picture
Association Of America. The film's duration is one hour and
43 minutes.
Unscripted review of "Toy Story 3":
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