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Posted by  TheArtrix on 07/11/2008, 14:59 CET (@582 BMT) |
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/10
Pixar is on a roll. The last bunch of Pixar movies, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Cars to a certain extend, were all highly amusing movies and a success at the box office.
So I saw the teaser for Ratatouille, and a mixed feelings entered my system. Is this that one Pixar movie that is going to suck, or is some kind of twist going to prove me wrong. As the movie drew closer, I grew somewhat more excited, but I still went to see it for the sake of killing an evening with my friends.
Since I went a bunch of weeks after the premiere my favorite theater in Antwerp, Belgium, didn't offer to show it using digital projection, so I had to settle with old fashioned 35mm reel projection.
But enough about the viewing circumstances. Basically, Ratatouille tells the story of Remy, and you guessed it, he's a rat. As part of a big colony, he lives in the attic of an old countryside house owned by an old lady. Remy is different in that his sense of smell and taste is far superior to that of the other rats. Even though he has an evolutionary advantage of being able to detect rat poison (which the rest of the colony gladly exploits), it's also his weakness as he is willing to risk his life to obtain the finer foods in grandma's kitchen.
The rest is quite obvious, his father doesn't approve, his brother helps him, and eventually, grandma notices Remy's food stealing action. Her logical reaction is to get her shotgun and cause some extensive damage to her house. How she was able to obtain a gun puzzles me, because this is France, which still has no Texas-style gun laws.
Long story short, Remy gets his ass flushed to freakin' Paris, which is basically his heaven on Earth. One situation involving more illegally obtained guns and one wacky kitchen scene later, Remy agrees to form an alliance with an Italian guy named Luingi. Luingi basically agrees to be Remy's human appearance, and once they figure out how to let Remy control Luingi's movements, they pretty much amaze everyone with some culinary wonders. After all, how can a clumsy garbage boy suddenly become a kickass gourmet chef.
Did you get the impression that I just told you the entire story, yes? But no, this was just the premise. They deliberately marketed the movie so that this seemed to be the whole point of the movie, while it's actually chock full of clever plot twists that flow very nicely. As an added bonus, the makers found a very healthy balance of action, comedy and romance. None of them are too dominant, and the result is something that feels very natural.
I must note that while the whole movie is highly fascinating during it's whole run, the middle tends to be kinda dull. It's not boring dull, but the viewer gets into this routine, just as Remy and Linguini get into their routine of the kitchen. Perhaps it's deliberate, but I didn't want this review to sound like an advertisement.
Visually, this movie is on par, if not better, with the Pixar standards. Water looks very good, the copper pans look like copper pans that have been used and abused for years and the food actually looks delicious. You have to be an idiot not to notice the character designs as we tend to see in movies directed by Brad Bird. Each of his movies illustrates that it's very possible to create intriguing character designs in CGI, without resorting to the notion that something needs to look realistic just because it's CGI.
The underlying message of the movie seems to be aimed at anyone who's an artist in some way, but it definitely applies to non-artists as well. The only limit you have, is yourself. Don't let anyone lead you to believe that you can't do something because of what you are. If it were for my parents, I would be doing something involving insurances and mortgages now, and I can't thank them enough for allowing me to seek my own destiny. It's a deep message, and it only goes to show that Pixar makes movies for adults, and then figures out how to make them suitable for children.
Score: 9.0/10.0
If you like animation, go see this movie. If you don't like animation, please, give it a chance and don't expect to see a kid's movie. If you are a hardcore otaku who thinks that anything from the West is beneath them, please, don’t touch this movie with a 3 meter stick.
Ratatouille is a movie with a little something of everything. It's very fluid and it leaves you satisfied. All it's acclaim is definitely justified.
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