Big Hero 6
3.5/4
Starring (voices): Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, Daniel Henney, Maya Rudolph, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk
Rated PG for Action and Peril, Some Rude Humor, and Thematic Elements
"Big Hero 6" is big time fun. That's probably the best thing I can say about the movie, but since a single too-cutesy sentence isn't a review, I'll go on. Happily.
"Big Hero 6" is a superhero movie that doesn't feel like a superhero movie. It uses a number of the same conventions but in different ways. For example, many films, such as "Spider-Man" and it's way too early reboot "The Amazing Spider-Man," use a tragic death to jump start the story. That's the case here, but whereas the Spidey movies used the death of Uncle Ben as a way to launch the plot, "Big Hero 6" uses a superhero story to explore it. Really, this is an animated action comedy about the grieving process. It sounds totally bizarre, but it's true.
The film takes place in a version of our world where San Francisco and Tokyo have been merged into a single city called San Fransokyo. Hiro Hamada (Potter) and his brother Tadashi (Henney) are both science geniuses, capable of creating wondrous inventions with just a little time and effort (this is a fantasy, so such things come with the territory). Despite being smart enough to graduate high school before puberty, Hiro has rejected going to college, believing it to be for nerds. That is, until Tadashi shows him the cool stuff he and his friends are doing. But Hiro's invention, which was his ticket into the university, is stolen and a fire kills Tadashi. Later, Hiro learns that the fire was no accident, and someone is using his invention for sinister purposes. Now he, Tadashi's robot Baymax (Adsit) and Tadashi's friends must band together to bring the evildoer to justice.
The central relationship in the film is between Hiro and Baymax, which is essentially a walking, cuddly hospital. There's nothing revolutionary about the trajectory, but it's essayed well by the script and voice acting. I believed in it, and that's what counts.
Also worth mentioning is the sensitivity in which the filmmakers deal with the death of Tadashi. "Spider-Man," for all of its pluses, shortchanged the relationship between Peter Parker and Uncle Ben. Once it served its purpose to the story, it was dropped. That hasn't happened here. The relationship between the two brothers is carefully built, and Hiro's grieving process is handled with skill and honesty. It's really the focus of the entire film, actually.
That doesn't mean that the film is grim. Far from it in fact. By and large the film is light and fun, with some truly hilarious comic bits. The voice acting, particularly by Potter, Adsit and Henny, is right on the mark.
The problem with the film is that while the action scenes are skillfully put together, they last a little too long and there are too many of them. That's a small quibble, particularly when most action movies rarely provoke more than yawns. A far greater problem is the ending. It's not so much what happens, but how it's handled. It feels as if the filmmakers were trying to pigeon-hole it into a traditional superhero movie mold, which isn't a good fit.
It's not as complex and enchanting as "Spirited Away" or as awe-inspiring and exhilarating as "Rise of the Guardians," but it's still a great family movie.
Starring (voices): Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, Daniel Henney, Maya Rudolph, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk
Rated PG for Action and Peril, Some Rude Humor, and Thematic Elements
"Big Hero 6" is big time fun. That's probably the best thing I can say about the movie, but since a single too-cutesy sentence isn't a review, I'll go on. Happily.
"Big Hero 6" is a superhero movie that doesn't feel like a superhero movie. It uses a number of the same conventions but in different ways. For example, many films, such as "Spider-Man" and it's way too early reboot "The Amazing Spider-Man," use a tragic death to jump start the story. That's the case here, but whereas the Spidey movies used the death of Uncle Ben as a way to launch the plot, "Big Hero 6" uses a superhero story to explore it. Really, this is an animated action comedy about the grieving process. It sounds totally bizarre, but it's true.
The film takes place in a version of our world where San Francisco and Tokyo have been merged into a single city called San Fransokyo. Hiro Hamada (Potter) and his brother Tadashi (Henney) are both science geniuses, capable of creating wondrous inventions with just a little time and effort (this is a fantasy, so such things come with the territory). Despite being smart enough to graduate high school before puberty, Hiro has rejected going to college, believing it to be for nerds. That is, until Tadashi shows him the cool stuff he and his friends are doing. But Hiro's invention, which was his ticket into the university, is stolen and a fire kills Tadashi. Later, Hiro learns that the fire was no accident, and someone is using his invention for sinister purposes. Now he, Tadashi's robot Baymax (Adsit) and Tadashi's friends must band together to bring the evildoer to justice.
The central relationship in the film is between Hiro and Baymax, which is essentially a walking, cuddly hospital. There's nothing revolutionary about the trajectory, but it's essayed well by the script and voice acting. I believed in it, and that's what counts.
Also worth mentioning is the sensitivity in which the filmmakers deal with the death of Tadashi. "Spider-Man," for all of its pluses, shortchanged the relationship between Peter Parker and Uncle Ben. Once it served its purpose to the story, it was dropped. That hasn't happened here. The relationship between the two brothers is carefully built, and Hiro's grieving process is handled with skill and honesty. It's really the focus of the entire film, actually.
That doesn't mean that the film is grim. Far from it in fact. By and large the film is light and fun, with some truly hilarious comic bits. The voice acting, particularly by Potter, Adsit and Henny, is right on the mark.
The problem with the film is that while the action scenes are skillfully put together, they last a little too long and there are too many of them. That's a small quibble, particularly when most action movies rarely provoke more than yawns. A far greater problem is the ending. It's not so much what happens, but how it's handled. It feels as if the filmmakers were trying to pigeon-hole it into a traditional superhero movie mold, which isn't a good fit.
It's not as complex and enchanting as "Spirited Away" or as awe-inspiring and exhilarating as "Rise of the Guardians," but it's still a great family movie.
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