I watched a couple of films in my most recent cinematic adventure at the theater, one of them was Interstellar, a film that wowed me more than I ever credited as being capable of, but the other was Big Hero 6. I topped off the night with Big Hero 6 because I thought the most fun and entertaining experience of the two. The film received highly positive reviews from audience-members and critics alike, but not only that, it looked like a lot of fun. Superhero films have become slightly excessive in recent years, not that I haven’t loved most of them, but it has slowed down since Guardians of the Galaxy was last released, however, Big Hero 6 seemed like something different entirely. A fun little animation with the intent of being fun and entertaining, nothing more and nothing less. Big Hero 6 succeeds at both those territories, but unfortunately, it never really reaches the amount of depth or character development that I would have liked.
Big Hero 6 is a 2014 American 3D computer-animated superhero action-comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, Williams’ work other-wise most known for his work in co-directing Bolt. The film was inspired by the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Since its release, Big Hero 6 has been a terrific box-office success, opening ahead of Interstellar, although, it has yet to really be released overseas. Either way though, it’s clear that Disney has another hit on their hands.
As far as the story is concerned, it follows the lead-protagonist, a boy named Hiro Hamada, who has immense amounts of intelligence. In-fact, in an experiment meant to earn him a spot in a big university, over the weekend, he makes a revolutionary experiment like nothing. A lot over-the-top, but what are you gonna do? The film takes a drastic turn that ultimately ends with Hiro forming a superhero team assembled by the friends he makes at school in an effort to stop the super-villain that stole his experiment and has since been using it to wreak havoc across the city.
Like I said, the film doesn’t have that much in the way of character development. I can’t really say that they introduced any elements that I hadn’t already long-since seen with other movies like it, but it’s not to say that they were badly done either. I think that it’s more to say that the concept, for the most-part, is a simple concept done well. It didn’t really go above and beyond, and that’s really the gist of it. I know that I read somewhere about critics targeting the overtly serious scenarios as being a little ‘too much’ for youths to handle. I don’t really agree with that, I mean, even something like Brother Bear covers the same basic sort of violence or issues with morality. Not to say they’re similar, but I mean, just the say that it’s nothing that I found to be especially heavy. I will say that there’s a scene where Hiro becomes pissed off and actually looks like he’s trying to kill the antagonist, but nothing really comes with it. I feel like that was the biggest amount of character build that the film had, and I really feel like the whole thing was resolved fast.
As far as the other characters are concerned, they are all basically generic. I think there’s a reason that they weren’t predominantly featured in the trailers, because they really seem like afterthoughts or filler to the actual story-line. I never really liked any of them, nor did I hate them. They just don’t really come across as necessary to the film. I mean, I could easily subtract them from the film and it wouldn’t really make much of a difference. The dynamic that is most enjoying about Big Hero 6 is the relationship and chemistry between Hiro and Baymax. There are a lot of characters like Baymax that I have seen before in animated films, the charming and lovable dope, but I was still really enjoyed by him. Some of what he did was absolutely hilarious and had me laughing out loud, which is something very rare for an introvert like me.
The animation is beautiful, depicting a wonderful, futuristic city, with stylish scenery, vibrant characters, and colorful arrays. I immediately think of How To Train Your Dragon when I look at it, and I don’t consider that as an insult by any means. The musical score will also catch some attention with a lot of bands like Fall Out Boy contributing to it. I think it all definitely adds to the atmosphere meant to be gotten across.
In summary, because I feel like this whole review has been rambling more than anything else, Big Hero 6 is an enjoyable film. However, the film depends mostly on the charm of the two lead characters more than it depends on anything else. The story itself is simplistic and derivative of a lot of other films like it, and the rest of the characters don’t really have much to say for themselves. Lastly, it never really registers the type of character depth that I would have liked. All in all though, it’s a fun film that I’ll remember with a certain fondness about it. My friend and I left the theater doing the fist-bump like Baymax did, which is much better than walking out of the theater with strong criticisms. I’d recommend it, but not with any expectations other than being a fun, family film.
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