This Month has not been kind to cinema. Seeing the release of Eclipse, the latest installment of the Twilight saga, is never a good sign, but when it comes coupled with the recent bomb of M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender, you'd forgive regular cinema-goers for having a slight sob to themselves. This movie provides a sound, definitive release from the heavily dramatic releases of recent times, while simultaneously providing a long awaited, much awaited three-quel. This is Toy Story 3.
This film honestly surprised me right from the get-go. I wasn't expecting this film to be any good whatsoever, and I expected this to run straight into the ground. I am exceedingly happy that this is not the case. I grew up watching the original Toy Story and Toy Story 2, and it has acted as one of the major sparks of my inspiration, and ultimately encouraging the wonder you have as a little kid about "what happens when you're not there". This was another major reason I worried about this film, as it had a great legacy to live up to in this respect. I am glad to say my distrust was entirely unfounded.
Let's begin on the acting. Was it believable, and did it accomplish it's intended result? On both counts, I'd have to say yes. Almost the entirety of the original voice-cast reprise their old roles from the first two films, and remain loyal to their original performances. The one exception to this is the voice of Slinky, Jim Varney, who unfortunately passed away shortly after the release of the second film. He was voiced in this incarnation by Blake Clark, who does an excellent job which is nigh indistinguishable from Varney's portrayal. Both Tom Hanks and Tim Allen do excellent jobs as Woody and Buzz once again. At times, Buzz's voice shows some noticeable signs of age, but this is only in minor instances, and you go into this going through the details with a fine-tooth comb (Guilty as charged...). The quality of the acting is also very high, as the actors hit every high note when they need to, metaphorically. What more can be said, really?
Now onto the plot. Without going into spoiler territory, the outset of the film goes through some home footage recorded by Andy's Mother, showing a very homely, secure chronology of Andy's history with his beloved toys. The time frame finally comes to the modern day, showing Andy as a 17 year-old teenager, and having outgrown his toys, who now reside within his solitary toy box. They seemingly accept their fate, and await a comfortable life in the attic. Their plans are suddenly interrupted when they get accidentally donated to the Sunnyside Day-Care, and upon their arrival, they get excited that they'll finally be played with again. All of them but Woody, who still feels an attachment to Andy, as they are his toys. They are greeted by Lotso, a cuddly bear who acts as a warden, or chairman of all the toys at Sunnyside. Upon arrival, they are all taken aback, as it seems like true toy paradise. Woody however still doesn't feel right at the day-care, and makes a point to return to Andy, even if no-one else will. The reality is brought forward to them all very harshly, when the toddlers arrive, and innocently abuse and torture the poor toys. Here they make their plans, and the storyline unfolds in many ways I couldn't have guessed.
Like I said, I really don't want to go into spoiler territory as this film is truly something to watch, but the plot takes so many turns, and retain the lovable charm that the previous two films have always managed to keep going. The first Toy Story was credited as a technological marvel, but in this day and age, the technology is far more common, so this film doesn't have that same argument to fall back on, leaving it all up to the content. Needless to say, Toy Story 3 does not disappoint on this front. The CGI effects are consistently amazing, although nothing I can't say that we're used to by now. The Story could have ended in one of many possible ways, and one of several points in the movie. Would the ending have had the same impact as it does? Well, possibly not, but that doesn't prevent the movie from having any less of an emotional feel to it. I doubt I speak for just myself when I say this movies confronts many of the problems we face while growing up, and after an 11 year break it feels as thought the ideas and story and characters have matured as we have. I saw the original Toy Story as a child, and I go back to see Toy Story 3 as a young adult, just like Andy, and it illustrates some of the hardships of growing up, and leaving those fond memories behind as we grow older. This film captures it spectacularly.
This is not to say that I don't have a few complaints on the film. A few too many of the jokes rely on the premise that you've seen the previous two films, and while I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't, it does leave a few people scratching their heads in the audience. Regardless, the film does remain incredibly funny to watch, for both younger and older audiences. Another problem I had was with the 3D in this film. Now, this film, unlike M. Night Shyamalan's latest disaster, does seem to actually be made in 3D, and don't get me wrong, it works far better than the converted mess that is The Last Airbender, but it never really added anything to the movie, save for one or two specific scenes. If you want my recommendation, then I suggest you go and see this movie in 2D, so long as the detail is kept up. The bonus of 3D was the very minute detail, which does this film many favours, but if the same level can be reached in 2D, then I see no reason why you would want one way or the other. If you want to pay that little bit extra, then by all means go for 3D, but 2D won't detract from the experience. My final problem with this film is the occasional examples of what seem like just plain bad writing. I won't spoil and say which scenes I'm talking about, but I trust you'd recognize them.
I prefer not to rate film on a 1-10 scale, so I'll leave my rating as "a must-watch". If you have watched either Toy Story film, you owe it to yourself to make the effort to go and see this one. If you have never seen Toy Story... well, initially I question why, and secondly, I recommend seeing at least the first movie if not the second. Both can be picked up relatively cheaply nowadays, and both are for sale or rental on PlayStation Network if you own a PS3.
And that is my review of Toy Story 3. I'm hoping this has given you a bit of an insight into the film itself, and has helped cement in your mind whether or not to go and see this great movie. However most of all, I hope it has made you make the White Choice.
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