Finding Dory Movie Review
by Brian Wezowicz
Hello faithful readers of this would-be movie and exercise blog (Hi Mom!)! It's been awhile since I've posed something here, and I hope to rectify that. I'm going to make a concerted effort to dust off the keyboard on a more regular basis with regular updates. I do hope to get more exercise related content out there, since it has been a REALLY long time since I've done anything related to the original purpose of this blog... working out and getting in to shape. I will say that having two kids makes it a lot harder to workout than I thought it would. I also lost my gym membership when we switched the kids' daycare schools. I also tore my meniscus and have surgery scheduled for next week (I hope to get a little content out of that ordeal), so it's been a tough stretch in Skinny Jeans Land. With that being said, here goes the first of (I hope) more regular content on this site.
It's no secret that summer 2016 has been brutal for Hollywood sequels, remakes, and reboots. From Turtles to X-Men, seemingly every sequel trotted out this summer has failed to live up to expectations. Sure, Captain America: Civil War is a huge hit, but Marvel exists on a different plane than other franchises. Would be can't miss hits (X-Men: Apocalypse, TMNT 2) are laying superhero sized turds weekend after weekend. Should Hollywood be worried that its gravy train seems like it's drying up? Probably. Will it stop them from releasing an endless string of so-so sequels and reboots? Sadly, no. Looking at the trends out there in the weekly Box Office report, it seems like audiences are finally smartening up to the fact that you can't polish a turd and call it gold. Audiences will get out there if the content is good... reboot, sequel, or original. They just won't throw down hard earned cash for something that's not worth it. That brings me to today's review. A solid hit from my favorite animation studio: Pixar's Finding Dory.
I have to admit that I was a little hesitant to take a trip back to the coral reef and swim with America's favorite memory challenged fish. While I enjoyed Finding Nemo, it wasn't my favorite Pixar film. I am of the opinion that, for the most part, animation works best when it's telling new and original stories. Sequels are usually destined for the straight to video shelves, and for good reason, they almost always stink! Even Pixar, Hollywood's gold standard for animation shied away from sequels. With the exception of the Toy Story franchise, the only Pixar sequel was the forgettable Cars 2. After viewing this sweet, tender film, I have to say that my fears were unwarranted. Finding Dory is a highly enjoyable film with a heart of gold that will be the cure for your summer sequel blues.
We start the film a short period of time after the events of the original have passed. Marlin, Nemo, and Dory are settling into their life as the cutest, most nontraditional family in the ocean. Soon after, Dory starts getting flashes of her parents, and she's off to find them. The trio sets off across the ocean on a whirlwind adventure that leads them to San Diego. They encounter a few bumps in the road and meet some old friends (Crush!) along the way. Ultimately, they end up split up and this is where the film shines. Ed O'Neil steals the show playing a surly octopus that reluctantly agrees to help Dory navigate her way through a marine rescue compound, while dealing with his own insecurities. There are some other great voice cameos in this movie, including Idris Elba as a seal and Sigorney Weaver as herself (trust me, it was great).
This movie is ultimately about family and the power of love and the comfort that can only come from being a part of one. While it didn't move me the way last year's stellar Inside Out did, Dory had some genuinely moving parts and had me laughing out loud at more than a few points. I was a little bit bummed that Marlin and Nemo were basically relegated to bit players in this movie, but I understand that it was Dory's time to shine.
I give this movie 3 out of 4 stars. It's the second best animated movie I've seen this year (behind Zootopia). If you're looking for a good time out of the house, definitely go see it.
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