Starring Billy Crystal, John Goodman
Directed by Dan Scanlon
Pixar heads down the prequel path and mostly succeeds with Monsters University, even though much of the Mike and Sulley magic feels a little bland.
This time out, the story begins as the lovable duo are enrolled at the institute of higher learning reflected in the title and dont quite start off as the best of friends.Billy Crystal and John Goodman are back in fine form to reprise their respective lead roles with plenty of new supporting talent, most notably God Bless Americas Joel Murray and Helen Mirren as the no-nonsense Dean Hardscrabble.
The flick takes a while to gather momentum; kids will delight in the beautiful aesthetic and innocent laughs but there is a striking lack of wit in the script.However, some sequences are truly original and fun to watch, particularly a scene involving the Scare Games, an amusing competition designed to test the scaring abilities of the student monsters.An emotional third act saves the movie from becoming just another rehash of old gags and situations.
The main problem stems from the fact that the Pixar bar has been set so high with films like Toy Story 3, Wall-E and The Incredibles; anything else feels like a missed opportunity. Monsters University doesnt rank with the studios finest efforts but is certainly one of the strongest animated films out there right now.
