Spotlight #17- Big Hero 6
Sorry I wasn't able to post this last week, guys. This weekend got a little crazy with some medical conditions that I may have to go into surgery for. Don't fret- it's not life-threatening, just really uncomfortable, and I have a hard time thinking while lying down. That being said, amidst this chaos, I did find time to sit down and take a good look at Marvel Entertainment's first true family adventure, or perhaps Disney's first true Superhero adventure. Sure, I'm guessing that most of my readers have already seen this by now, but the few who haven't are probably wondering "Is it a good idea to buy this on Blu-Ray?" In which case, I'm here to say that, while it may not reach the heights of Disney heart-warmers like "Wreck-It Ralph", it still remains a charming film with a great deal of heart and fun that serves both families and comic fans alike.
The film takes place in the fictional city of San Fransokyo, a cultural crossover between San Francisco and Tokyo, and follows the Story of Hiro Hamada. Hiro and his brother Tadashi are technological geniuses living together in their aunt's cafe. It isn't easy for any of them, since Tadshi is attending a prestigious tech college, Hiro only really looks forward to the next illegal bot-fight to earn cash, and their aunt has to put up with their incessant hijinks. It only gets rougher on them, though, when Tadashi's college is destroyed in a fire and a mysterious new shadow shows up with Hiro's own Microbot technology. Now, It's up to Hiro, his brother's huggable invention BAYMAX, and a few friends from 'nerd school' to figure out who the masked man is and save the city.
As an interesting fact, while the characters and situations officially belong to Marvel, they did little to supervise the project, saying that they wanted Disney to make it their own. As such, the first thing that shows up in this movie is really how much heart it has (Okay, after a "Real Steel"-style robot showdown.) As you may have guessed, BAYMAX is just as lovable as he looks, with several instances both humorous and dramatic playing off of the contrast between his immense intelligence and his relative innocence. Although, even though he still outshines our designated main character, Hiro still remains interesting enough to maintain a story, and his few scenes with Tadashi have some genuine levels of brotherly emotion. In some ways, it's cuddlier than most other animated movies have a right to be.
Another surprising thing was this film's ability to manage that and Marvel's renowned spectacle and action. It seems to borrow heavily from the "Tokyo" side of San Fransokyo- the 80's Japanese cartoon vibe is heavy in some areas, most notably in the team's costumes and some of the architectural design. Since this is Disney, you can probably figure that their Hyperion rendering engine will present the film with insane detail and color- in this case, on a scale almost as breathtaking as "How to Train your Dragon". This also leads to many creative action sequences that make you realize how much research the artists did, as well as calling towards several Action movie and J-Pop tropes. (Wasabi using his blinkers in an otherwise fast-paced car chase comes to mind.) It may not truly reach the heights of some of Marvel's best scenes, but there were a few moments where I just had to sit and appreciate the artistic integrity of it all.
Of course, since no movie is truly flawless, there were a few moments that somewhat dropped the experience for me. Earlier on, some of the exposition is handed to us pretty heavily in some straightforward 'As you Know' instances, breaking the Show-Don't-Tell philosophy that made some of the best out of this company. It eases up after the first act, but I also noticed that's when some minor characters started going missing. They're all colorful and interesting, but many of them don't get enough development to really feel like they function. Some even disappear altogether until the climax. I suppose it's the best complaint to have, but I wanted to see more of these characters when what we had was already so interesting. That being said, it never drags the film down into feeling to fast or slow and can be ignored easily enough the first run-through.
There is enough to say that Big Hero 6 is a success. It was done with a good deal of passion and creativity with a cast of likable characters, even if some of them might not be seen enough to truly stick. The ones that do, though, are enough to carry the movie from beginning to end with some gorgeous graphics and smart action. Some of the writing bogs it down towards the beginning, but it's easily balanced by the humor and the patch in the second half. If you're still unsure, Stan Lee himself makes one of his best cameos ever. It's a nice touch to something fans of Superheroes and family films alike can appreciate.
As an interesting fact, while the characters and situations officially belong to Marvel, they did little to supervise the project, saying that they wanted Disney to make it their own. As such, the first thing that shows up in this movie is really how much heart it has (Okay, after a "Real Steel"-style robot showdown.) As you may have guessed, BAYMAX is just as lovable as he looks, with several instances both humorous and dramatic playing off of the contrast between his immense intelligence and his relative innocence. Although, even though he still outshines our designated main character, Hiro still remains interesting enough to maintain a story, and his few scenes with Tadashi have some genuine levels of brotherly emotion. In some ways, it's cuddlier than most other animated movies have a right to be.
Another surprising thing was this film's ability to manage that and Marvel's renowned spectacle and action. It seems to borrow heavily from the "Tokyo" side of San Fransokyo- the 80's Japanese cartoon vibe is heavy in some areas, most notably in the team's costumes and some of the architectural design. Since this is Disney, you can probably figure that their Hyperion rendering engine will present the film with insane detail and color- in this case, on a scale almost as breathtaking as "How to Train your Dragon". This also leads to many creative action sequences that make you realize how much research the artists did, as well as calling towards several Action movie and J-Pop tropes. (Wasabi using his blinkers in an otherwise fast-paced car chase comes to mind.) It may not truly reach the heights of some of Marvel's best scenes, but there were a few moments where I just had to sit and appreciate the artistic integrity of it all.
Of course, since no movie is truly flawless, there were a few moments that somewhat dropped the experience for me. Earlier on, some of the exposition is handed to us pretty heavily in some straightforward 'As you Know' instances, breaking the Show-Don't-Tell philosophy that made some of the best out of this company. It eases up after the first act, but I also noticed that's when some minor characters started going missing. They're all colorful and interesting, but many of them don't get enough development to really feel like they function. Some even disappear altogether until the climax. I suppose it's the best complaint to have, but I wanted to see more of these characters when what we had was already so interesting. That being said, it never drags the film down into feeling to fast or slow and can be ignored easily enough the first run-through.
There is enough to say that Big Hero 6 is a success. It was done with a good deal of passion and creativity with a cast of likable characters, even if some of them might not be seen enough to truly stick. The ones that do, though, are enough to carry the movie from beginning to end with some gorgeous graphics and smart action. Some of the writing bogs it down towards the beginning, but it's easily balanced by the humor and the patch in the second half. If you're still unsure, Stan Lee himself makes one of his best cameos ever. It's a nice touch to something fans of Superheroes and family films alike can appreciate.
All rights owned 2014 by Walt Disney Pictures, No Copyright infringement intended
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