It would appear that it is time to
start my “pre-Oscar blitz”, where I watch as many Oscar-nominated that I have so far missed as possible. Most years I only have a few to
catch up on, having seen most of them throughout the year. This year
is a different story – I have only seen a small handful of the
nominees.
Nominated for Best Animated Feature is
“Big Hero 6”. Usually I love really good animated films;
usually I also love a good superhero film. An animated superhero
should be a home run, but for some reason this highly-acclaimed movie just
didn't do it for me. It's good, the kids will enjoy it, but I
thought the whole thing was predictable and fairly obvious. I
suppose this one, as a flat out Disney production, was meant more for
the kids than their parents.....
Hiro Hamada is a boy genius. Graduated
from high school at 13, he thinks college will bore him as much as
high school did and instead spends his days working on a “battle
bot” and hustling for bets in life-or-death robot matches. His
brother Tadashi shows Hiro the error of his thinking by taking him to
the robotics lab at his college, where they are always breaking new
ground. Hiro decides he HAS TO go there, and prepares a project of
“microbots” to present to the department head to win his
admission. The microbots are thought of as ground-breaking and Hiro
is accepted, but immediately afterward there is a fire that claims
the life of his brother and the robotics department head, as well as his microbots. Crushed,
Hiro locks himself away.
But locked away with him is Baymax, a
“personal healthcare” robot that Tadashi had designed. Together
they discover that Hiro's microbots were not destroyed in the fire
and Hiro outfits Baymax with armour, weapons and rockets that
basically turn him into a superhero. He also outfits several of
Tadashi's friends the same way so they can create their own Justice League,
and they head off to discover who is at the bottom of the theft (and
likely the fire).
There is some comic relief in the film
(in particular the character Fred, a stoner-type who thinks this
whole thing is like, radical). The best laugh in the whole thing is
provided by Damon Wayans Jr. when his character Wasabi nearly has a
freight car dropped on him. But overall the humour is pretty simple
and not very clever, like most elements of the film. There is plenty
of action, battles and intrigue, but as previously mentioned it's all
pretty predictable and not especially intriguing.
If you have a 10-year-old boy, he will
love it guaranteed; that appears to be the primary audience for the
film. But if you think you're getting “The Incredibles”, you
will be heartily disappointed – this film just isn't in the same
league. Not a bad movie.... and that isn't something you want to
hear about an Oscar nominee. It's okay, and worth a watch. Not too
much more.
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