2. Up Is A Massive Disappointment After Its Opening Montage
Yes, yes, we all cried at the opening 8-or-so minutes of Up, where Pixar told a fantastic story about the life of a married couple through the years, ending tragically with her demise, while the husband, Carl (Ed Asner) seeks to eke out the rest of his life in misery. It's a sequence of cinema more affecting than most complete films, but the problem is that this set-up makes for a disappointing - if still highly entertaining - film for the remainder. After establishing such a humanist theme to cut through the film, the majority of the rest is devoted to a silly if enjoyable adventure narrative because, of course, Pixar still needs to appeal to kids in some way. I had hoped for more dwelling on Carl's situation - and, ostensibly, the misery - particularly in the final section of the film, where it's clear that Carl likely doesn't have very long left to live, despite becoming Russell's new father figure.