UP

Version: 3D Theatrical

(Slight spoilers ahead)

Don't let the commercials fool you. Like the last few Pixar films, Up is not limited to the children's audience. I actually cried a couple times. There were a lot of things the younger people did not get. In one scene during the opening, Carl (the old man, though young at this point) and his wife are thinking about having children. In the next scene (in an OB/GYN office) the wife is crying in a wheelchair while wearing a hospital gown. I'm not certain since this is a silent part, but I believe she had a miscarriage. I heard some kids in the theater asking what was going on. There are many other scenes like this that go way over the kids' heads.

Story-wise, I was laughing a good number of times. Once you get past the sad opening, there are oodles of laughs. A lot of the fun came from Carl's lack of tech-knowledge. Now I'm only in my twenties, but I know a lot about older things. Lots of old references are made. A dirigible, news reels, bottle caps, all sorts of no-longer-existent things are mentioned or shown. I'll admit it: I didn't get the snipe joke. I knew Carl playing a joke on the kid, but I had never heard the term "snipe hunt" before. ^^;

There is another sad scene, roughly 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through. Get the tissues out for that.

The plot does slow down really fast, though. Despite every poster featuring a floating house, very little time is spent flying the house. There is a lot of walking with the house in tow. Even though he is shown very early in the film, the villain's actual appearance toward the end is rather sudden. If I hadn't seen him in one of the trailers I wouldn't have thought this film even had a villain.

But man, was he a nasty villain! He sets the house on FIRE, drops the kid out of the dirigible in mid-air, and even starts shooting at them with a rifle! He's violent, and possibly insane.

The 3D is just a gimmick, if you ask me. It comes off like the movie was made as usual, and Disney just tossed a few effects in to charge more money. Plus, the effect is ruined when you have a tall guy sitting right in front of you. :/ At least the glasses aren't those stupid red and blue things.

I can't wait for the dvd release. I hope there is a commentary track. :)

Go see this film if your theater is 2D. If it's just you, no problem, but if you have a boatload of kids, 3D may not be worth it. Three tickets cost me 28 bucks.