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$2.50 Reviews
Robots
<img height=400>http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/148/robotsteaserposterl.jpg
When you think of computer animated films, there are likely two studios that come to mind. The first is Pixar, who have yet to make a critically unsuccessful movie. Second to them is DreamWorks, likely best known for the Shrek franchise. Other studios tend to turn out a couple of movies, but never reach the status that a Pixar or DreamWorks does.
[Img_Inline width="275" Caption="Almost looks like stop-motion animation by this picture." Align="left"]http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/8033/robotswideweb430x277.jpg[/Img_Inline]
Blue Sky Studios doesn't actually follow this trend. It has its own primary franchise, Ice Age, a series that is still being created, and still making way more money than it likely should. Apart from the Ice Age films, they have produced two other full length films, Horton Hears a Who and Robots. They also have a few films currently in production, including, yes, another Ice Age film.
The point is, they are a successful studio that just isn't given the same type of recognition that the larger studios are given. That's okay though, because it means when they produce a film like, say, Robots, and it turns out to be really good, you get a very pleasant surprise. The studio doesn't have the weight of having to blow the audience's mind at every turn, and instead, they can focus on just making a really entertaining film.
In fact, if its story was just a tad more interesting, Robots might just be up to par with Pixar films, and in fact, does seem to take inspiration from them. The lead is a male character, and we see the world from his eyes. His name is Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor), and he is an aspiring inventor. After not finding success in his hometown, he decides to head to a place called Robot City, where he hopes to show his inventions to a man called Bigweld (Mel Brooks). Bigweld owns the robot repair company, and Rodney hopes that he will get hired and be able to work for Bigweld.
[Img_Inline width="275" Caption="Aww...look at their scared faces." Align="right"]http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/8787/pic1i.png[/Img_Inline]
Unfortunately, after arriving in Robot City, Rodney learns that Bigweld is nowhere to be found. His replacement, Ratchet (Greg Kinnear), has decided to scrap the idea of replacement parts and is replacing them with upgrades. Upgrades, as anyone who has upgraded something in the past will know, are more expensive than a simple replacement. Many robots are unable to afford these upgrades, and this is something that Ratchet and his mother are counting on.
They are the main villains, and they want two things. Firstly, robots that can afford these upgrades will be paying way more than they should have to, meaning the pair makes money. The second thing involves the robots that cannot afford the upgrades; they become scrap metal, used to create whatever Ratchet and his mother want.
Rodney doesn't like this plan though, and spends the rest of the film ether gathering support or trying to find Bigweld, all in the hope to bring down Ratchet and save hundreds of robots in the process. He's a good character with a strong will, and despite not being a human, he, and the other robots in the film, all exhibit many human characteristics.
[Img_Inline width="275" Caption="''Say cheese''" Align="left"]http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/4351/smrobots241109966019.jpg[/Img_Inline]
Even if the robots designs were all scrapped and replaced with human models, not much of the story would change. Yes, some of the events would have to be altered in order to make it possible for humans to accomplish some of the tasks throughout, but the emotional responses and the charm exhibited by the characters would all still be there. The robots all have distinct personalities, and they are brought out around every corner. We get to know about all of these characters, and we don't want to see them get shipped to the scrap yard.
However, the story that these characters are a part of is fairly weak, even for a film aimed primarily at children. Unlike what Pixar usually does--create complex and compelling stories despite making the film approachable to younger audiences--the story that Robots tells is all too predictable and lacking in substance to really carry the film. There are fun set-pieces, and some hilarious moments, but the overall plot is just weak.
The animations, as well as the robots themselves, are very well-done though. You can tell that a lot of effort was put into them. Each robot is detailed and different from each other. They all have their different parts, and they are all animated wonderfully. Even when there is a shot where there are a lot of robots in it, you won't find duplicate robots anywhere. The film is polished, and that speaks to how much Blue Sky cared about the production.
[Img_Inline width="275" Caption="Rodney has friends." Align="right"]http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/350/mainphpg2viewcoreol.jpg[/Img_Inline]
There is one other thing that I've been meaning to address, and since it is something that comes at the end of the film, I think it's fitting for me to include it near the end of the review. This will involve spoilers though, so people who haven't seen the film, and don't want to know how the final acts sets up should skip the paragraph and just read the conclusion. The spoiler isn't big, and doesn't even give away what happens during the final act, but it does give away some things that happen earlier on in the film.
Okay, so, there is a bit early on in the film that has Bigweld stating that "You can shine no matter what you're made of". This is a running theme throughout the film, and we are basically told throughout that upgrading--that is, changing--yourself isn't required in order to be successful. That's a good lesson to be teaching children, and I have no problem with that. What I do have an issue with is that before the climactic battle at the end of the film, Rodney and his pals all decide to upgrade themselves. This seems completely contradictory to what the rest of the film is preaching. It came out of left field, and while seeing them beat on nameless drones with new parts does make it more exciting, it completely negates what the rest of the film says. Maybe it's just me that takes issue with this, but man, that really left me feeling disappointed by the ending.
On the whole, Robots is a really solid film. The characters are ones that we get to know and care about, the comedic exchanges do their job, and the set-pieces are entertaining. The story isn't involving, at least, not to older audiences, but the film around the story allows it to not be too much of a hindrance. Robots is a very good film, one that comes very close to the excellence of rival studio Pixar.
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$2.50 Reviews
Robots
<img height=400>http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/148/robotsteaserposterl.jpg
When you think of computer animated films, there are likely two studios that come to mind. The first is Pixar, who have yet to make a critically unsuccessful movie. Second to them is DreamWorks, likely best known for the Shrek franchise. Other studios tend to turn out a couple of movies, but never reach the status that a Pixar or DreamWorks does.
[Img_Inline width="275" Caption="Almost looks like stop-motion animation by this picture." Align="left"]http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/8033/robotswideweb430x277.jpg[/Img_Inline]
Blue Sky Studios doesn't actually follow this trend. It has its own primary franchise, Ice Age, a series that is still being created, and still making way more money than it likely should. Apart from the Ice Age films, they have produced two other full length films, Horton Hears a Who and Robots. They also have a few films currently in production, including, yes, another Ice Age film.
The point is, they are a successful studio that just isn't given the same type of recognition that the larger studios are given. That's okay though, because it means when they produce a film like, say, Robots, and it turns out to be really good, you get a very pleasant surprise. The studio doesn't have the weight of having to blow the audience's mind at every turn, and instead, they can focus on just making a really entertaining film.
In fact, if its story was just a tad more interesting, Robots might just be up to par with Pixar films, and in fact, does seem to take inspiration from them. The lead is a male character, and we see the world from his eyes. His name is Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor), and he is an aspiring inventor. After not finding success in his hometown, he decides to head to a place called Robot City, where he hopes to show his inventions to a man called Bigweld (Mel Brooks). Bigweld owns the robot repair company, and Rodney hopes that he will get hired and be able to work for Bigweld.
[Img_Inline width="275" Caption="Aww...look at their scared faces." Align="right"]http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/8787/pic1i.png[/Img_Inline]
Unfortunately, after arriving in Robot City, Rodney learns that Bigweld is nowhere to be found. His replacement, Ratchet (Greg Kinnear), has decided to scrap the idea of replacement parts and is replacing them with upgrades. Upgrades, as anyone who has upgraded something in the past will know, are more expensive than a simple replacement. Many robots are unable to afford these upgrades, and this is something that Ratchet and his mother are counting on.
They are the main villains, and they want two things. Firstly, robots that can afford these upgrades will be paying way more than they should have to, meaning the pair makes money. The second thing involves the robots that cannot afford the upgrades; they become scrap metal, used to create whatever Ratchet and his mother want.
Rodney doesn't like this plan though, and spends the rest of the film ether gathering support or trying to find Bigweld, all in the hope to bring down Ratchet and save hundreds of robots in the process. He's a good character with a strong will, and despite not being a human, he, and the other robots in the film, all exhibit many human characteristics.
[Img_Inline width="275" Caption="''Say cheese''" Align="left"]http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/4351/smrobots241109966019.jpg[/Img_Inline]
Even if the robots designs were all scrapped and replaced with human models, not much of the story would change. Yes, some of the events would have to be altered in order to make it possible for humans to accomplish some of the tasks throughout, but the emotional responses and the charm exhibited by the characters would all still be there. The robots all have distinct personalities, and they are brought out around every corner. We get to know about all of these characters, and we don't want to see them get shipped to the scrap yard.
However, the story that these characters are a part of is fairly weak, even for a film aimed primarily at children. Unlike what Pixar usually does--create complex and compelling stories despite making the film approachable to younger audiences--the story that Robots tells is all too predictable and lacking in substance to really carry the film. There are fun set-pieces, and some hilarious moments, but the overall plot is just weak.
The animations, as well as the robots themselves, are very well-done though. You can tell that a lot of effort was put into them. Each robot is detailed and different from each other. They all have their different parts, and they are all animated wonderfully. Even when there is a shot where there are a lot of robots in it, you won't find duplicate robots anywhere. The film is polished, and that speaks to how much Blue Sky cared about the production.
[Img_Inline width="275" Caption="Rodney has friends." Align="right"]http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/350/mainphpg2viewcoreol.jpg[/Img_Inline]
There is one other thing that I've been meaning to address, and since it is something that comes at the end of the film, I think it's fitting for me to include it near the end of the review. This will involve spoilers though, so people who haven't seen the film, and don't want to know how the final acts sets up should skip the paragraph and just read the conclusion. The spoiler isn't big, and doesn't even give away what happens during the final act, but it does give away some things that happen earlier on in the film.
Okay, so, there is a bit early on in the film that has Bigweld stating that "You can shine no matter what you're made of". This is a running theme throughout the film, and we are basically told throughout that upgrading--that is, changing--yourself isn't required in order to be successful. That's a good lesson to be teaching children, and I have no problem with that. What I do have an issue with is that before the climactic battle at the end of the film, Rodney and his pals all decide to upgrade themselves. This seems completely contradictory to what the rest of the film is preaching. It came out of left field, and while seeing them beat on nameless drones with new parts does make it more exciting, it completely negates what the rest of the film says. Maybe it's just me that takes issue with this, but man, that really left me feeling disappointed by the ending.
On the whole, Robots is a really solid film. The characters are ones that we get to know and care about, the comedic exchanges do their job, and the set-pieces are entertaining. The story isn't involving, at least, not to older audiences, but the film around the story allows it to not be too much of a hindrance. Robots is a very good film, one that comes very close to the excellence of rival studio Pixar.
<spoiler=Other Film Reviews>
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