It's enough to bring HCTV back to life! That's right, Monsters University is exactly how a sequel-prequel should be done and sits right up there on that most-of-the-time unreachable shelf of cinematic orgasms that did it better than the last time they were at it. It's sat in-between Toy Story 2 and, of course, Spider-man 2. Without a doubt, it's a better movie than Monsters Inc. And, if that statement is making you scream disapprovingly at your PC (or, indeed, mobile device) that's fab! You're giving the monsters exactly what they're after!
A direct sequel wouldn't have worked out, and it's doubtful we'll ever see one, because the big finale of Monsters Inc showed us that all our favourite scarers realised they could harvest more energy from our pathetic human children by making them giggle instead of making them scream. But what makes Monsters University so blissfully laugh-worthy is the fact that the 'Oozma Kappa' gang are so un-scary! We get to watch them struggling to come to terms with the fact they must become top-notch 'terrifying' in no time at all as they compete in the university's 'Scare Games', which only the most hardcore attendees participate in. This of course leads to countless laugh-out-loud juxtapositions, including an overly enthusiastic mum tagging along for support in an aggressive graffiti-covered arena. Visual gags aplenty.
The characters really do shine through here and the whole adventure feels led by their own choices - which are, most of the time, the wrong ones! This is a hefty achievement considering how many characters there are, especially compared with the first film. Pixar pretty much expects the tiny minds of the kids watching to remember an entire university-worth of characters. No trouble at all though, as they're all so splendidly unique and well-formed. What's most satisfying, however, is that everyone has their part to play, meaning the majority have a story arch, no matter how insignificant to the main beef of the plot.
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| Mike regrets asking the gang to demonstrate their scariest sex faces... |
And what a plot! What a wonderful message to send out to children and adults alike! Work hard, even harder still, and then even harder than that. Keep working your butt off and eventually, so long as you've worked hard enough, you'll end up exactly where you dreamed. And, let's face it - it's true advice! The majority of us can't be arsed enough to put the effort in, so end up slaving away in a job we don't really fancy. Monsters University encourages all of us to believe in ourselves, whether or not we've got two heads, or a bunch of tentacles! It also makes us chuckle as though we're the age we were when the first one came out. A good job well done and further proof that Disney does better when Pixar's keeping an eye on things!
★★★★☆
Roo