Rating: 15/20 (Jen: 16/20; Abbey: 16/20; Buster: 90/20)
Plot: I don't feel like writing a plot synopsis for this one.
The story's a little predictable here, and I"m surprised that for such a geeky movie, there's this complete disregard for science. However, Big Hero 6 has enough exhilarating animated action sequences, likable characters, and pathos to whisk along as a piece of quality family entertainment. I think my favorite thing about this might be the world building. The story takes place in San Francisco, but it's a weird Tokyo-influenced modern San Francisco. So there are familiar sights like cable cars and the Golden Gate Bridge, but the city has this parallel universe vibe that gives the whole thing life. The background details for the settings are beautifully done, and this is the kind of thing I'd actually like to see again just to ignore the story and characters and absorb all the stuff back there. The movie really sounds good, too. I like the sounds of Baymax's squelching vinyl and the cacophony of robotic whirrs and clankings. Don't get me wrong though. It's not that I didn't enjoy the characters. Baymax, voiced by Scott Adsit from 30 Rock, was adorable and made me laugh a few times both with the slapstick antics and some humorous lines. He kind of reminded me of a big clumsy silent movie character. Well, except he talked and made noise. Hiro's the kind of stock teenage character you get in movies like this, but his arc is satisfying enough. The others? Well, I can't recall any of their names. There's a stoner guy. There's a couple women. There's a black dude. They add some flash, but they don't have the depth of the characters in The Incredibles or even the other Marvel superhero movies. The villain looks really cool with his army of microbots and his kabuki mask, and he's at least got some dimensions as a bad guy rather than just wanting to take over the world or wreak havoc or be vaguely villainous. Of course, anybody who's ever seen a good vs. bad action movie like this will more than likely know who the villain is way before the big dramatic reveal. It's about as sneaky as a Scooby Doo episode. It's really not great storytelling, sort of matching that formula that all the other Marvel movies seem to have. Still, this is vivacious fun, where it seems like the animators really wanted to challenge themselves to do some special things. I was particularly blown away by a scene near the end with all this purplish weirdness, like I imagine a trip through Syd Barrett's head circa-1968 would have been like. I'm sure we'll get some sequels with these characters, and I'll actually look forward to them.
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