And so we reach the Top 5, and in all honesty any of these would be worthy of the top spot as there is next to nothing to choose between them. I relegated today’s choice to the bottom of the Top 5 simply because I feel more strongly about the others. That is not to say that I believe that this is worse than the others, it isn’t, it’s just that the high I got from this one went away quicker than for the other 4.
The 5th best film of 2009 is…
Carl Fredricksen had always dreamt of escaping to South America to follow in the footsteps of his childhood hero, famed explorer Charles F. Muntz. Now seventy-eight years old, and facing living out his days in a retirement home, Carl seizes the opportunity to make his dream reality. Attaching thousands of helium balloons to his home he sets off on a journey into the wild. Unbeknownst to Carl, Russell an overly keen Wilderness Explorer trying to earn his “Assisting the Elderly” badge has accidentally stowed away on-board his floating house. What follows is a tale of great adventure for the mismatched duo involving talking dogs, giant birds and a villainous enemies.
Why it is worthy: From that opening ten minutes, which will reduce stone men to floods of tears, to the fizz-bang-whallop of the climatic chase scenes everything about UP is beautifully crafted. It’s a heart-felt, heart-warming story of companionship, loss, hope and the power of unbridled imagination. Pixar have done it once again infusing visually artistry of the highest calibre with a story that would hold up without the luscious looks. The centre-piece of this magnificent movie is Carl, a grumpy old curmudgeon who is the focal point of everything. He’s contrary, he’s pragmatic, he’s totally uncompromising and he’s just oh-so real. It’s hard to believe at times that this man is just a collection of ones and zeroes so enthralled you become with his quest. The supporting cast is great too, Kevin the giant bird is a comic delight, as is Dug the talking dog, but the real heroes are Russell and Charles Muntz. Christopher Plummer’s voice is perfect for the bitter, twisted old explorer and he imbues a potent sense of lingering menace every time he appears on screen. The 3D effects enhance rather than distract from the story and in some instances the additional field of depth really comes into its own. Absolutely everything looks and feels perfect and for a movie five years in the making you can feel the love put into it.
Fatal flaws: It may be a little too scary for younger kids and the emotional opening might well be lost on them as it deals with a specific type of loss and misfortune that they will not be familiar with. There are funny scenes but overall the tone of the movie is something a little more adult than previous Pixar efforts. The thing with Alpha’s voice, whilst hilarious at first, is a little forced and really is a one-trick event. Also the movie didn’t need to be in 3D, personally I prefer the flatness of the 2D plane. It is a cartoon essentially. Ultimately thought I can find little of fault with the film, it’s just not my favourite Pixar movie and I’m at a loss to explain why.
Verdict: A soaring, uplifting, and beautiful piece of animated cinema this matches and in some cases exceeds the calibre of it’s Pixar brethren. A tale for the ages.
The Countdown
25. This Is It
24. Adventureland
23. Drag Me To Hell
22. Anvil
21. In the Loop
20. Watchmen
19. The Hangover
18. Coraline
17. Public Enemies
16. (500) Days of Summer
15. Harry Brown
14. The Wrestler
13. Fantastic Mr. Fox
12. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
11. The Hurt Locker
10. A Serious Man
9. Let The Right One In
8. Gran Torino
7. Zombieland
6. Inglourious Basterds
I haven’t seen this yet but I am really looking forward to it.
My brother in alw took my 2 boys to it and did mention that the first 10 mins they were very bored - a difficult thing for a cartoon to come back from with the attention span of kids!
This is the sort of film I wanted to have fully erased from my mind after I came out. Totally morbid and depressing.