Movie Review: Up

The people at Pixar are freaking geniuses. I recently saw their newest film, Up, and I think it's the best one they've done to date.

In Up, Pixar tells the story of Carl Fredricksen, an old, retired, bitter man who lives alone in his home. Carl has always dreamed of adventure and going to Paradise Falls, Venezuela. One day when life becomes too much to handle, Carl decides to up and go fulfill his dream as well as fulfill a few promises he's made along the way in his life. I won't give away too much story, but of course his journey is set back by several unique antagonists.

Like most Pixar films, Up's primary strength is its very strong story. It's original, it's interesting and it's pretty moving. Be prepared for some very sad parts in Up. However, the humor is extremely well done as well, and the movie had me swinging back and forth from sadness to laughter on several occasions. It has a kind of weird bi-polar feel to it, but it's good. The characters are very unusual, but that works brilliantly as well. From the obese "Wilderness Explorer" kid to talking dogs to gerriatric sword fights, nothing is routine in this movie.

The animation in Up is top-notch, as we've come to expect from Pixar. Up is very colorful and looks good. I was concerned since I saw it in 3D, and I didn't know what to expect since I hadn't seen a 3D movie since Nightmare On Elm Street 2. Let's just say they've mastered the technology since then. I don't think it's necesarry to see Up in 3D to fully enjoy it, but it can't hurt. The 3D worked very well and complimented the film nicely. I would expect to see a lot more 3D in the near future.

Go see Up. Twice. It's got something for everyone and you will not leave disappointed.

SCORING: I give Up 5 Agent Smiths out of a possible 5.