Soul Review, Makes you introspect
3 years ago
Soul, one of the latest Pixar movies sent straight to Disney+, stars a middle aged teacher in the middle of obtaining his once in a lifetime chance he may never get, and could lead to a happy life he always longed for, until it was taken away by an untimely death.
Admittedly, I've seen quite a bit of discussion about the movie before it was out, and not all of it was good. Most of them touched a variety of concerns about animation, plot, character and what else. The end result I'll say is far better than expected, if you don't mind few bits of oddities here and there.
Animation: This is one of those you need to get used to at first. There's an undeniable amount of effort that went into animation, but most people tend to focus on the fact that it has stereotypically looking Black people, which is, admittedly, hard to not notice. Several tended to jump on the wagon that Disney was being racist, but that thankfully died down quickly.
And honestly, the movie didn't deserve that criticism cause it is Gorgeous, and has a lot of great looking shots. And it does a beautiful job of showcasing the beauty of both afterlife AND life on earth, while keeping this dichotomy between both. The Great Beyond, and The Great Before too, had very minimal use of colors and shapes done in a way to feel soothing to your visual senses, while appearing cute and charming. The real life is far more loud and varied, yet also interesting without putting it into some sort of romanticized filter. The character design play into it too, showcasing how different every person is. It felt like you could touch the movie with your hands (and sadly, meant that movie could've been absolutely a blast in 3D). It also neatly hands itself into its themes and plot.
Plot: The description I gave above doesn't do much justice to the plot, cause rest assured there is in fact more to it. Yes, a black guy dies in a moves, and YES, he turns into a creature. But the movie has a twist that you'd only learn watching it, so I won't spoil it here. But generally speaking, it follows with the idea of living your life perfectly, and encapsulates why being alive is such an wonderful thing. That said, it's climax may feel a touch too down-low, but it fits the tone of the movie. The ending is also one of those things that make you question and debate whether it was a good choice or not. Then again, it is open ended enough that you can make your own assumption.
Characters: Not much to say here, aside that they were decent and fairly good. Each of them work well within the theme of the movie, and the multiple layers that each person has. I did enjoy those 2D authorities quite a bit, being very amoral beings, but not unreasonable.
Conclusion: Worth a watch. While it may feel like it can go over a kid's head, it is a good family movie, and one where all can come with an interesting conclusion.
One man told another,
Imagine, if I could make your greatest wish to come true, what would you like?
The another said,
To make a difference.
The first one laughed.
The other asked him, why did you laugh?
You don't need a wish for that. You already made a difference.
Admittedly, I've seen quite a bit of discussion about the movie before it was out, and not all of it was good. Most of them touched a variety of concerns about animation, plot, character and what else. The end result I'll say is far better than expected, if you don't mind few bits of oddities here and there.
Animation: This is one of those you need to get used to at first. There's an undeniable amount of effort that went into animation, but most people tend to focus on the fact that it has stereotypically looking Black people, which is, admittedly, hard to not notice. Several tended to jump on the wagon that Disney was being racist, but that thankfully died down quickly.
And honestly, the movie didn't deserve that criticism cause it is Gorgeous, and has a lot of great looking shots. And it does a beautiful job of showcasing the beauty of both afterlife AND life on earth, while keeping this dichotomy between both. The Great Beyond, and The Great Before too, had very minimal use of colors and shapes done in a way to feel soothing to your visual senses, while appearing cute and charming. The real life is far more loud and varied, yet also interesting without putting it into some sort of romanticized filter. The character design play into it too, showcasing how different every person is. It felt like you could touch the movie with your hands (and sadly, meant that movie could've been absolutely a blast in 3D). It also neatly hands itself into its themes and plot.
Plot: The description I gave above doesn't do much justice to the plot, cause rest assured there is in fact more to it. Yes, a black guy dies in a moves, and YES, he turns into a creature. But the movie has a twist that you'd only learn watching it, so I won't spoil it here. But generally speaking, it follows with the idea of living your life perfectly, and encapsulates why being alive is such an wonderful thing. That said, it's climax may feel a touch too down-low, but it fits the tone of the movie. The ending is also one of those things that make you question and debate whether it was a good choice or not. Then again, it is open ended enough that you can make your own assumption.
Characters: Not much to say here, aside that they were decent and fairly good. Each of them work well within the theme of the movie, and the multiple layers that each person has. I did enjoy those 2D authorities quite a bit, being very amoral beings, but not unreasonable.
Conclusion: Worth a watch. While it may feel like it can go over a kid's head, it is a good family movie, and one where all can come with an interesting conclusion.
One man told another,
Imagine, if I could make your greatest wish to come true, what would you like?
The another said,
To make a difference.
The first one laughed.
The other asked him, why did you laugh?
You don't need a wish for that. You already made a difference.