Yesterday, the moment I got home, I tried writing a review about this gem of a movie, but it didn't materialise, so I decided to rewrite it in the form of a simple blog entry. Happy reading folks.
Yesterday, I went to see Inside Out, a movie I had been anticipating from the moment I saw the first trailer. My reaction? Wow, just wow. Pixar have once again gone above and beyond the limits of their creative talent to make a movie that touched me very deeply, a feat not many movies have been able to achieve. (Warning: Spoilers beyond this point)
Before I can talk about anything else, I'll hop right to the main point of my entry; the sacrifice of Riley's imaginary friend, Bing Bong.
I never had an imaginary friend in my childhood, but what was so heartbreaking about this was that Joy promised Bing Bong that if he helped her and Sadness get back to Headquarters before Riley's mind could totally collapse, she would ensure that Riley remembers him, an opportunity Bong was desperate to reclaim after years of being forgotten in the labyrinth known as Long Term Memory. However, disaster struck when Family Island collapsed, sending Bing Bong and Joy plummeting into the abyss known as the Memory Dump.
From minute one, the movie had made it clear the Memory Dump was the point of no return for Riley's memories. Anything that fell into it would never see the light of day again, so when Joy and Bong fell into it, I truly believed all was lost. I could feel my feels agitate at the sight of Joy sobbing over the few memories of Riley's childhood she clung onto all that time. Yet, there was still hope when she and Bing Bong found the latter's rocket sled. Despite being well aged by this point, there was still power left in it, therefore the duo resolved to fly their way out. Unfortunately, their combined weight was too much for the sled to achieve sufficient height, leaving Bing Bong with the stark naked truth; only one of them was going to escape, and it wouldn't be him. So when Joy wasn't looking, he threw himself off the sled. Bing Bong had managed to save Joy, but before his death he entrusted the latter with the mission to take Riley to the moon one last time. With that, the pink elephant/cat/squirrel/dolphin hybrid faded into the darkness.
I don't know why, but it touched me real deep. I didn't cry, but I was left sad that Bing Bong would not live to see Riley remember him. That being said, Inside Out had achieved what Wreck-It Ralph did not; a character willingly gave up his life so that the protagonist would still have a chance, hence the reason it had managed to touch me through the crusty and ashen layers of my heart. To this hour I still search for fanfiction where Joy and Sadness properly mourn Bing Bong, and also honour his sacrifice.
Now, with that part over, I'll get onto everything else I liked about the film. The animation was stellar, the concept was brilliantly original and well thought out, and the Emotions! Oh my God, have you ever heard such finesse from a voice cast? And the emotions themselves weren't confined to just their respective emotion. Anger, Fear and Disgust, who would normally be the bad apples of the bunch were able to express happiness and satisfaction in their own way. Plus, Disgust is actually my favourite character. She's just about as blunt as I am when you take away the dislike for broccoli and bad fashion tastes. But above all else, the operations within Riley's mind, everything from the Train of Thought to her Imagination and even her Dreams and Nightmares were conceptualized and immaculated as physical representations of what they might look like. It was just brilliant! Already I can see what my mind looks like. A not so generic military base, with the emotions commanding me like a tank.
Now, the film was good, but the experience was soured somewhat. I found the short film Lava to be unbearable and cringeworthy. I mean, they sang that mushy love crap THREE/FOUR BLOODY TIMES to the point I wanted to take a shoe off and bash it against my head until it bled. But alas, that wasn't going to happen for the next reason.
The theatre was full of kids, with their parents to boot. Not a single teenager or childless adult turned up, leaving me isolated among the innocent and naive murmurs, cries and whispers. While that wasn't the worst part of all, I wish I could've been among a more mature audience. I feel if that were the case, I would have enjoyed the film a lot more than I did.
Nonetheless, Inside Out thoroughly lived up to my expectations. It was an excellent movie, maybe one I would see again, but not under the same circumstances. 10/10, a true return to greatness for Pixar.