Film REVIEW: "Big Hero 6"

[Firaga 5,947]

 

Surprise! It's time for another review, and this time I'm covering a movie. Not just any movie. "Big Hero 6": A superhero movie brought to us by Marvel and Disney... you know, in hindsight, that doesn't like such a big deal anymore. lol

 

Anyways: this is going to be a special kind of review, because I'm currently writing off my exact thoughts on the movie after literally watching it for the first time. Usually, the stuff I review needs more digestion on my part for me to really dig in and analyze it, but I decided that I would just shoot from the hip. And believe me, this type of movie is something that is easy to write on after only one viewing. Want to know what I mean? I'll tell you.

 

Now, let's put on some spandex! ... Not my best line.

 

 

 

Big Hero 6" is a 2014 superhero comedy by Walt Disney Pictures based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name.

 

The film takes place in a somewhat-futuristic hybrid city of San Francisco and Japan, appropriately named "San Fransokyo", and is also a hodgepodge of Western/Eastern culture. Our main character is Hiro Hamada, a troublesome kid genius who is goaded by his older brother and fellow genius Tadashi to stop participating in "bot-fights" and instead use his talents for something better: attending the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, where young geniuses create and explore new realms of technology in order to help others and revolutionize the future.

 

After a tour of the school, including meeting famous scientist Professor Robert Callaghan and Tadashi showing off his latest creation "Baymax", a tubby plastic-skin robot that serves as a medical assistant, Hiro accepts and creates a project that will land him a spot in the school. His project, thousands and thousands of mini-robots that can help humankind in a variety of ways, succeeds. However, the school catches on fire. Everybody except Callaghan evacuates, and Tageshi goes in to help him, and dies in the fire. After his death, Hiro takes in Baymax, and he leads him to discover that his school project survived the fire, and is now being used for a darker purpose...

 

Aaaaaaaand I'll leave you with that, because crap, I've already spoiled like three things. lol But oh yeah, uh, Hiro, Baymax, and a bunch of other people become superheroes. That shouldn't be a spoiler in the slightest. lol

 

Now, this being a Disney movie taking inspiration from a Marvel comic book is fitting because this is so obviously more of a Disney film than it is a Marvel film. It's predictable, it's kid-friendly, and it has the basic Disney formula and tropes. That, however, doesn't make it a bad film in the slightest, especially since there are things Disney has mastered over the years. It's still fun, exciting, and carries a lot of emotion. Emotion is a good word, because this superhero film chooses to forgo focus on the action and the crazy super powers and instead focuses on emotions, more specifically Hiro's emotions. Basically, it's a coming-of-age story where Hiro learns to accept Tadashi's death and move on with himself. It is a central theme not only to Hiro, but it also serves as a central theme to the movie later on when the antagonist is introduced.

 

"Fun and exciting" sure still break through as well. Those elements are best emphasized through the characters, action, and overall narrative as well.

 

In the film, Hiro befriends four of Tadashi's very colorful classmates: Go-Go, the snarky punk rock chick, Wasabi: the scaredy and "safe" guy, Honey: the energetic, girly-girl, and Fred: the slacker obsessed with comics and superheroes. Now obviously all of these personalities kind of sound one-note and unoriginal... and they are. lol Still, there's enough passion put into their characters and interactions with each other to at least make you care and engage in them. Even Hiro's standard protagonist schtick is engaging thanks to his emotional character arc and his general super-nerd qualities (I especially love how he thinks he's so cool and smart that he has the nerve to call the university a "nerd school" with a "nerd lab" event though HE is a nerd himself. What a scamp. ). Baymax is a also a breakout character. He's the standard "robot who has trouble doing normal things' arcehtype, but he mixes in just enough charisma and charm along with it. (I especially enjoyed his cute moments with Hiro and his "drunken" low-battery shenanigans. lol)

 

The action, aka when the "Hero" in "Big Hero 6" comes into play, when Hiro, Baymax and the others suit up and turn their knowledge of science into their super-powers, is also note-worthy. Combined with the fluid animation and grand scale spectacles and effects, it's really fun to see all the craziness go down, which is a nice change of pace than a standard Marvel movie's action. Don't get me wrong, Marvel movie action is great and all, but again, this is a Disney film, so the action is going to be a little more all-over-the-place with stunts that'll entertain the kiddies, also again, not a bad thing at all. Speaking of the super-powers, they really are cool and fit well with the characters' personality. I admit that Hiro and Baymax are bland in comparison, but they're still fun to watch too.

 

Going back to comparing this to other Marvel films, the narrative gives the basic superhero origin story a bouncy, light-hearted twist. Origin stories, unfortunately, are sort of a re-tread. There's always doom and gloom and people getting upset and whatnot. To be fair, Big Hero 6 doesn't always wear a smile on its face. Like i said, it's basic Disney formula: there's drama, death, bad intentions, revenge, Hiro has a flip-out moment, all that jazz. However, it still paints us a new picture on how a superhero, or in this case superheroes, becomes a superhero in a more down-to-earth fashion. It's also broken down to a superhero's basic purpose: helping others and saving lives. 

 

Now, I know I called the film predictable, but there are a few things that the writing nerd in me wants to praise. First off, show-not-tell is strong with this film, and that's not something you see a lot in a children's film of all things. For those of you who don't know, "show-not-tell" is the process of using visual images to tell a story instead of just explaining things to the audience. Not a lot of things are just told in this movie. You have to pay attention to what is being shown to know what is being told, and i appreciate that. Second, Chekhov's Gun is also strong, and is also not something you see a lot in these types of films. Now see, the Chekhov's Gun is a writing mechanic that basically means that if you make note of something in the story, it cannot go to waste i.e. if you write that there is a rifle handing on a wall, then the rifle has to eventually go off. As the film goes along, there are a lot of callbacks to earlier events that help stack up the final resolution, whether it be plot points like how the students get their powers and the motivation of the antagonist or even running gags like Baymax's silly "fist-bump" thing. (That one in particular is used quite a lot. Ba-la-la-la-la! lol)

 

Some other notes: I mentioned that the animation during the fight scenes is pretty good, and the animation overall is good too. It's got that new-age CGI engine Disney uses and its looks really great for what was produced as the cartoon-y characteristics still manage to somewhat emulate real-life and really pop out at the viewer. The visuals are also really nice, standard stuff for Disney. And I don't mean standard as in "average", I mean standard as in "gorgeous." Also, Disney pulls an MCU and leaves a very interesting scene with Fred in the end credits featuring a person who Marvel fans know all too well. 

 

In conclusion: "Big Hero 6" is standard Disney fluff. Nothing to get all Frozen about. But you know, Disney's been doing the animated picture deal for so long that you really can't be mad at something like that. I'm not one who really "cries" for originality, so I'm fine with it, and besides, there actually is a little bit or originality poking out beneath the sidewalk, so it's the best of both worlds. And it's still a really good comic-book movie, albeit with a more kid-friendly take on the genre, but still charming enough to be enjoyable.

 

Overall, I give "Big Hero 6" a big 8 out of 10.

 

 

And that's my review of Big Hero 6. Tell me what you thought of my review and give your own thoughts on the movie. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm hungry for an invisible sandwich.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Firaga Sensei

[Xer 670]

Didn't Big Hero 6 come out like, a coupla months back instead of 2012?

[Guest]

 

 

Surprise! It's time for another review, and this time I'm covering a movie. Not just any movie. "Big Hero 6": A superhero movie brought to us by Marvel and Disney... you know, in hindsight, that doesn't like such a big deal anymore. lol

 

Anyways: this is going to be a special kind of review, because I'm currently writing off my exact thoughts on the movie after literally watching it for the first time. Usually, the stuff I review needs more digestion on my part for me to really dig in and analyze it, but I decided that I would just shoot from the hip. And believe me, this type of movie is something that is easy to write on after only one viewing. Want to know what I mean? I'll tell you.

 

Now, let's put on some spandex! ... Not my best line.

 

 

 

Big Hero 6" is a 2012 superhero comedy by Walt Disney Pictures based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name.

 

The film takes place in a somewhat-futuristic hybrid city of San Francisco and Japan, appropriately named "San Fransokyo", and is also a hodgepodge of Western/Eastern culture. Our main character is Hiro Hamada, a troublesome kid genius who is goaded by his older brother and fellow genius Tadashi to stop participating in "bot-fights" and instead use his talents for something better: attending the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, where young geniuses create and explore new realms of technology in order to help others and revolutionize the future.

 

After a tour of the school, including meeting famous scientist Professor Robert Callaghan and Tadashi showing off his latest creation "Baymax", a tubby plastic-skin robot that serves as a medical assistant, Hiro accepts and creates a project that will land him a spot in the school. His project, thousands and thousands of mini-robots that can help humankind in a variety of ways, succeeds. However, the school catches on fire. Everybody except Callaghan evacuates, and Tageshi goes in to help him, and dies in the fire. After his death, Hiro takes in Baymax, and he leads him to discover that his school project survived the fire, and is now being used for a darker purpose...

 

Aaaaaaaand I'll leave you with that, because crap, I've already spoiled like three things. lol But oh yeah, uh, Hiro, Baymax, and a bunch of other people become superheroes. That shouldn't be a spoiler in the slightest. lol

 

Now, this being a Disney movie taking inspiration from a Marvel comic book is fitting because this is so obviously more of a Disney film than it is a Marvel film. It's predictable, it's kid-friendly, and it has the basic Disney formula and tropes. That, however, doesn't make it a bad film in the slightest, especially since there are things Disney has mastered over the years. It's still fun, exciting, and carries a lot of emotion. Emotion is a good word, because this superhero film chooses to forgo focus on the action and the crazy super powers and instead focuses on emotions, more specifically Hiro's emotions. Basically, it's a coming-of-age story where Hiro learns to accept Tadashi's death and move on with himself. It is a central theme not only to Hiro, but it also serves as a central theme to the movie later on when the antagonist is introduced.

 

"Fun and exciting" sure still break through as well. Those elements are best emphasized through the characters, action, and overall narrative as well.

 

In the film, Hiro befriends four of Tadashi's very colorful classmates: Go-Go, the snarky punk rock chick, Wasabi: the scaredy and "safe" guy, Honey: the energetic, girly-girl, and Fred: the slacker obsessed with comics and superheroes. Now obviously all of these personalities kind of sound one-note and unoriginal... and they are. lol Still, there's enough passion put into their characters and interactions with each other to at least make you care and engage in them. Even Hiro's standard protagonist schtick is engaging thanks to his emotional character arc and his general super-nerd qualities (I especially love how he thinks he's so cool and smart that he has the nerve to call the university a "nerd school" with a "nerd lab" event though HE is a nerd himself. What a scamp. ). Baymax is a also a breakout character. He's the standard "robot who has trouble doing normal things' arcehtype, but he mixes in just enough charisma and charm along with it. (I especially enjoyed his cute moments with Hiro and his "drunken" low-battery shenanigans. lol)

 

The action, aka when the "Hero" in "Big Hero 6" comes into play, when Hiro, Baymax and the others suit up and turn their knowledge of science into their super-powers, is also note-worthy. Combined with the fluid animation and grand scale spectacles and effects, it's really fun to see all the craziness go down, which is a nice change of pace than a standard Marvel movie's action. Don't get me wrong, Marvel movie action is great and all, but again, this is a Disney film, so the action is going to be a little more all-over-the-place with stunts that'll entertain the kiddies, also again, not a bad thing at all. Speaking of the super-powers, they really are cool and fit well with the characters' personality. I admit that Hiro and Baymax are bland in comparison, but they're still fun to watch too.

 

Going back to comparing this to other Marvel films, the narrative gives the basic superhero origin story a bouncy, light-hearted twist. Origin stories, unfortunately, are sort of a re-tread. There's always doom and gloom and people getting upset and whatnot. To be fair, Big Hero 6 doesn't always wear a smile on its face. Like i said, it's basic Disney formula: there's drama, death, bad intentions, revenge, Hiro has a flip-out moment, all that jazz. However, it still paints us a new picture on how a superhero, or in this case superheroes, becomes a superhero in a more down-to-earth fashion. It's also broken down to a superhero's basic purpose: helping others and saving lives. 

 

Now, I know I called the film predictable, but there are a few things that the writing nerd in me wants to praise. First off, show-not-tell is strong with this film, and that's not something you see a lot in a children's film of all things. For those of you who don't know, "show-not-tell" is the process of using visual images to tell a story instead of just explaining things to the audience. Not a lot of things are just told in this movie. You have to pay attention to what is being shown to know what is being told, and i appreciate that. Second, Chekhov's Gun is also strong, and is also not something you see a lot in these types of films. Now see, the Chekhov's Gun is a writing mechanic that basically means that if you make note of something in the story, it cannot go to waste i.e. if you write that there is a rifle handing on a wall, then the rifle has to eventually go off. As the film goes along, there are a lot of callbacks to earlier events that help stack up the final resolution, whether it be plot points like how the students get their powers and the motivation of the antagonist or even running gags like Baymax's silly "fist-bump" thing. (That one in particular is used quite a lot. Ba-la-la-la-la! lol)

 

Some other notes: I mentioned that the animation during the fight scenes is pretty good, and the animation overall is good too. It's got that new-age CGI engine Disney uses and its looks really great for what was produced as the cartoon-y characteristics still manage to somewhat emulate real-life and really pop out at the viewer. The visuals are also really nice, standard stuff for Disney. And I don't mean standard as in "average", I mean standard as in "gorgeous." Also, Disney pulls an MCU and leaves a very interesting scene with Fred in the end credits featuring a person who Marvel fans know all too well. 

 

In conclusion: "Big Hero 6" is standard Disney fluff. Nothing to get all Frozen about. But you know, Disney's been doing the animated picture deal for so long that you really can't be mad at something like that. I'm not one who really "cries" for originality, so I'm fine with it, and besides, there actually is a little bit or originality poking out beneath the sidewalk, so it's the best of both worlds. And it's still a really good comic-book movie, albeit with a more kid-friendly take on the genre, but still charming enough to be enjoyable.

 

Overall, I give "Big Hero 6" a big 8 out of 10.

 

 

And that's my review of Big Hero 6. Tell me what you thought of my review and give your own thoughts on the movie. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm hungry for an invisible sandwich.

Shockingly, you have some very similar views to my own. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, noting spectacular, but for what it was it was damn good.

[Firaga 5,947]

Didn't Big Hero 6 come out like, a coupla months back instead of 2012?

 

It came out in 2014, actually. Don't worry, I fixed it. lol