Film: “Up”; Voices: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson; Director: Pete Docter; Rating: ****
Now this is turning out to be too bad to be true. Just like “District 9” last week, even “Up” has arrived at Indian shores sans any fanfare. Both films are masterpieces in their own rights, but none released with the kind of hype that would have made Indian audiences root for them.
The common factor between the two films is the believability factor. Something which is quite a paradox of sorts because just like in reality, two million aliens do not quite live in South Africa, something that “District 9” wants us to believe. Similarly it is impossible to make a house fly with the help of a few thousand helium balloons as shown in “Up”.
Just like quite a few animation classics coming from Hollywood, “Up” too finds a comfortable place in the list of ‘must watch’ for kids and adults alike.
A major reason behind the huge acceptance for this adventure film is the presence of a concrete storyline.
The story goes like this:
For old man Carl, the lead protagonist in the film who is well past his prime, it’s a dream to take his house to the land (Paradise Falls in South America) where his late wife Ellie always wanted. He gets an experiment running where thousands of balloons turn his house into an airship and he is soon transported to the land of his and his wife’s dreams. Well almost!
In his journey, Carl is joined by a young boy Russell who is not even in his teens. Meanwhile, the action follows the duo all over as Carl and Russel are joined by a talking dog, Dug. When there is good, there is bad and Muntz is the bad element that comes in the way of Carl and Russel.
From this point on, the action picks on full throttle with Pixar, the producers of the film, getting some cool animation in place. Each and every pixel on the big screen comes alive and it’s sheer colour power that makes “Up” a visual extravaganza.
There is nothing forced or flashy but the combination of colours with animation and some brilliant pacing in the narration makes “Up” a non-stop entertaining affair.
Meanwhile, emotions don’t quite take a back seat. “Up” boasts of a strong ‘connect’ factor. No wonder, audiences worldwide have already given a thumbs “Up” to the film. Pun intended.
Time and again Hollywood surprises with an offering that goes beyond the special effects and leaves a strong impact when it comes to storyline and execution.
Yes, no-brainers like “GI Joe” or a “X-Men” are most welcome too but an intermittent dose of “Up” is what makes one root for a repeat viewing for an entire family. Go for it!
rounak