Finding Dory
Welcome to Movie Night with Brandon, which is basically my excuse to discuss and review any film I feel like. Whether it's a brand new film or an older one, it's whatever I feel like doing. With all that out of the way, let's talk about some movies.
For those of you who are un-aware, I consider myself a fairly big Pixar fan. I don't love all of their works but they have made not only some of the best animated films of all time, they've also made some of the best films of all time in general. I don't let nostalgia glasses get to me too much, but of their films that I love, I love dearly. Finding Nemo was one of the films that I loved, especially as a kid. When I re-watched it as an adult I seemed to have appreciated some of it's moments a little more. It at times was very emotional, but not overly emotional. The best Pixar films have the perfect balance of fun and excitement, while also delivering emotional moments where it's hard not to cry. Unfortunately in my opinion, Finding Dory doesn't leave what I think will be a lasting impression. I did very much like the film and it is without a doubt an enjoyable story, but it feels almost mediocre in the crowd of Pixar films.
The story of Finding Dory is a simple premise; Dory starts to remember her past as well as her parents. She then barks on an adventure to find her parents to reconnect with them. I have no problem with the plot of the movie, in fact it could be a very involving story if handled right. The film never feels as if it's taking risks or trying to tell a interesting story however. It feels like it was playing it very safe which makes it suffer a bit in my opinion. The film also felt very short as well, clocking in at only one hour and forty-five minutes. It only needed an extra fifteen to twenty minutes to help flesh out other characters or help the story flow better. While there are emotional moments in the film, the rushed run time doesn't make you feel very invested in the story too much. Everything in the movie feels like it was hurried and never fully reaches it's intended emotional impact. While I wish to get into specifics, I don't want to spoil the film for those who haven't seen it yet.
On a positive note, the voice cast was great being led by Ellen DeGeneres once again nailing it as Dory. Her character absolutely has the caliber to carry her own film even though I thought the execution of the story was not as great. The rest of the voice cast also does an incredible job from Albert Brooks, Ty Burrell and Ed O'Neill who's character I wanted to know more about. The animation is of course beautiful and ground-breaking like all of Pixar's other work. I also thought the film had some very funny moments. While it was never side-splitting funny, I did find myself chuckling a lot throughout the film.
Overall I did like Finding Dory, but it never made me fall in love with it. Just because I say I didn't love the film doesn't mean it's a bad picture, because it's definitely not bad. Not even close. I think majority of the problems I have with the film is in the screenplay and a few directorial choices. While it's not necessarily a film that will make my top ten of the year, you should definitely check it out for yourself.
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