For the past year, I have received some flack for loving animated films more than live action movies. I am, after all, going into my second year of college and hold the position as the entertainment editor for Mississippi State University's student newspaper. I should, logically, like movies that grapple with serious adult issues or little known indie dramas. And I do. I just like good movies, no matter what medium is used to create them.
Last year, mainstream Hollywood released a bunch of stinker horror movies that were either remakes like "The Stepfather" or were so full of cliches it would be impossible for anyone in the audience to become scared. But the stop motion film "Coraline," which is based on a eerie children's novel, was full of thrilling twists and gruesome images. While "New Moon" and "The Ugly Truth" gave viewers unrealistic pictures of romance, "The Princess and the Frog" delivered characters whose love story truly works. And while there were many dramas like "Up in the Air" last year that connected with the audience, none were able to bring as many people to tears as "Up" did in the first five minutes.
That isn't to say every animated film is perfect; "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" was one sloppy mess. And 2009 also brought an inventive take on "Star Trek," the offbeat romantic comedy "(500) Days of Summer" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
However, Hollywood has, for the most part, begun green lighting things from the same, tired formula. From "G.I. Joe" to "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" summer blockbusters have become full of explosions, tired crude jokes and stale dialogue.
This year, most of the "big" movies have been disappointing. While "Alice in Wonderland" was creatively structured, it was no masterpiece. And the summer blockbuster season has been full of box office disappointments like "Prince of Persia" and critically dismissed films like "Sex and the City 2." So far, "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Toy Story 3" have been both two of the biggest box office successes of the year and two of the films garnering the highest acclaim for their inventive plot lines and character development. It's pretty sad that "kid's movies" have become the one generally reliable place for a good, thought provoking time.
Last Friday, "Despicable Me," an animated comedy about a super villain who adopts three girls in an attempt to use them for his nefarious plan to steal the moon, earned almost $60 million during its opening weekend — more than double the amount a blockbuster like "The A-Team" made during its opening.
I saw "Despicable Me" yesterday, expecting it to be full of retired jokes and flat moments. But I was wrong. Even though the movie was cute and full of familial bonding between the super villain Gru (Steve Carrell) and the three orphans, it was intelligently written, and it actually had jokes that were original. The plot was actually something new and different. Sure, it had moments where anyone over the age of six knew what would happen — but doesn't almost every film?
With "Inception" coming out on Friday perhaps the summer streak of stinker films aimed specifically to an older audience will end. But it's no wonder everyone was in line for "Toy Story 3" instead of the other cinema options. I mean was anyone really clamoring for another "Robin Hood" movie?
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