Monsters University Review!

Pixar brings Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan back in Monsters University (MU), but it's not the new happy Monsters Inc., they bring us back to the basics where the duo learn their scaring! I just watched Monsters University yesterday (Sunday, June 30th), and the movie is still fresh in my mind!

~~~~SPOILERS ALERTTTTT~~~~~~~~~

Since Monsters University is still a very new movie that is in theaters worldwide, I'll try to keep most of the spoilers to a minimum (unlike my Les Miserables review). However, I will have a quite lengthy summary anyway.

Before the movie even starts, there is an adorable six-minute animated clip about a blue umbrella falling in love with a red umbrella. At first you see the blue umbrella happily blocking its owner from the heavy storm in a crowd of unhappy grey umbrellas. Soon, you find another happy umbrella approach it, a red feminine umbrella. You feel the romance between these two umbrellas as they walk down the road. However, the two umbrellas take a separate turn. Desperately wanting to be with the red umbrella, the blue umbrella breaks away from its owner and flies to the red umbrella. The blue umbrella falls slightly short of the red umbrella and falls to the wet road tattered and nearly destroyed. After a cut to black, the blue umbrella's owner sees his broken umbrella and picks it up. Aiding the blue umbrella's owner is the owner of the red umbrella. We see the two talking and  having a good time at a nearby cafe, where the blue and red umbrellas are joined together, happily ever after.

A young Mike Wazowski

Then the movie really begins, as we see a school bus full of young, exited monsters. As they leave the bus, one monster kid seems to be missing, Mike Wazowski. After Mike is found still stuck in the car, we find out that the class is going on a field trip to the famous, Monsters Inc. When partnering up, Mike doesn't have a partner and is left to partner with the teacher. Inside Monsters Inc., the class meets a scarer, Frank McCay. Frank heads into the floor to demonstrate scaring, with the class standing behind a safety line. As Frank heads into his door, Mike crosses the line and walks into the door into the human world. When Frank is done scaring his child and comes back into the monster world, he realizes Mike was in there with him. After scolding Mike of the dangers in the human world, Frank praises Mike of how quiet he was inside the door and gives him his Monsters University hat. Mike is inspired by Frank and wants to pursue his career in scaring.

Mike as he steps into Monsters University 

Years later, we see Mike enrolled in Monsters University in a scare major. He meets roommate Randall Boggs, who is a geeky monsters who desires to be popular. On the first day of class, Dean Hardscrabble drops in to inform the students that those who do not pass the scaring final will be kicked out of the scare program. Mike studies very hard, making sure that he will pass the scare final. One day while Mike was in his room studying, a blue, arrogant monster that Mike saw in class breaks through his window. The monster was James P. "Sulley" Sullivan, who was revealed to be in the famous scaring Sullivan family. Sulley was trying to smuggle a pig from a rival college to prove his worthiness of MU's most elite fraternity, Roar Omega Roar.  When the pig steals Mike's treasured MU hat, Mike also joins Sulley in capturing the pig. As the two near a fraternity party outside, Mike throws a football to capture the pig in a trashcan. Sulley is invited into the fraternity, while Mike, who wishes to join, is denied because he is considered "not scary enough."

Oozma Kappa, Mike and Sulley's
fraternity that help them compete
in the MU Scare Games

One of the elite fraternities at MU, RΩR

Finally, on the day of the finals, Mike continues to study as he waits for his turn in the scaring final. Mike and Sulley begin to fight, they knock over Dean Hardscrabble's prized record-breaking-bottle of scream. Dean Hardscrabble takes the accident very lightly, but questions Mike and Sulley on what type of scare to use. Mike answers the question correctly, but is kicked out of the scaring major because he is "not scary enough." Sulley does not answer a question at all, simply roaring to attempt to impress Hardscrabble. Sulley is also kicked out of the major because he does not understand the different types of scaring used on children.

Dean Hardscrabble

Angered by his new major, Mike joins the Scare Games, which the winner would be known as the best scarers on campus. With a very soft and not-very-scary fraternity, Oozma Kappa, the entire schools laughs at them. Mike wagers with Dean Hardscrabble that if Oozma Kappa won the Scare Games, that all the monsters in the fraternity will return to the scaring major. Hardscrabble accepts, however, Oozma Kappa only had five contestants, one short of the required amount for the game. Sulley volunteers to join Oozma Kappa, allowing Oozma Kappa in the games.

I will not explain any further because a) this summary is getting very long and b)this is a major story line of the plot. This was simply a "preview"or a "reminder" of what happens in the movie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END SPOILERS~~~BEGIN REVIEW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As a big fan of the first Monsters Inc. movie, I've got to say, this prequel of the original movie was amazing. I found myself paying attention to the music a lot in this movie because it was very similar to the soundtrack in the first movie. Though the music was very similar, music in MU added a college-like ensemble that gave it a college vibe.

Many characters and miscellaneous monsters
from the prequel, Monsters University

The plot of this movie was much more complex than I expected, as when I thought it was the climax of one problem, a new problem arose. Interestingly, I was actually startled at some points of the movie, such as moments where Dean Hardscrabble was introduced or when scares were taking place. This may have been because of my huge excitement for this movie. Being a prequel, I also looked at many hints or information that may help character development for the original Monsters Inc. Randal's grudge at Sulley is slightly explained and characters from the first movie also make a cameo.

Applaud or Veto? 

Definitely an applaud for me! If you are a fan of the first movie, this is definitely a movie on top of your list for the next coming weeks (for me, Despicable Me 2 is also on the top!). I thought the plot of the movie was also structured very well, as the events flowed one after another. Watching the movie also gave me a lot of childhood memories, and writing this blog made me realize how fast time goes by! Fun little fact: the original Monsters Inc. came out 12 years ago in 2001!

2013 is another big year for the film industry, as big blockbusters like Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire are huge attention grabbers, but between these large action-packed films, it feels amazing to relive childhood and catch a fun cartoon like Despicable Me 2 or Monsters University.