What's new

Big Hero 6 Review (1 Viewer)

Yavin

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Sep 15, 2013
Messages
196
Real Name
Ben Mk
If you're a fan of Pixar's The Incredibles (and who isn't?), then you'll find a lot to love in Disney's Big Hero 6. The first big-screen collaboration between Disney and Marvel is a loose adaptation of the niche Marvel Comics miniseries, and it tells the origin story for the titular superhero team (made up of whiz kid Hiro Hamada, his inflatable robot sidekick, Baymax, and their friends, Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred).

From my full theatrical review:
Big Hero 6 comes to us courtesy of directors Don Hall (Winnie the Pooh) and Chris Williams (Bolt), as well as some of the producers and writers behind such recent hits as Monsters University, Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph. In short, it's got quite the pedigree of talent behind it. And while it may not be a Pixar production, it is bursting with many of the same sensibilities that Pixar have been known to bring to bear in their films, from the thoroughly emotive character designs (this time, with a tinge of anime influence), to the engaging environments (San Fransokyo is truly a sight to behold), to the storytelling (which doesn't shy away from dealing with subject matter you rarely find in kids' movies, such as dealing with grief).

At the same time, however, it isn't perfect. Aside from Hiro and Baymax, most of the other characters only barely qualify as such, with little provided in the way of their backstories and motivations. Instead, most of them — as impressively-animated as they are — exist primarily to fulfill the requirements of the plot or to fill out the ranks of the titular superhero team.

Still, the film is extremely entertaining from start to finish, with ample humor that both the young and the young-at-heart will find appealing, as well as its fair share of exhilarating action sequences. Most importantly, the core of the movie — the relationship between Hiro and Baymax — is solid, and it's handled as effectively as one could have hoped for. In terms of how much it tugs at viewers' heart strings, it ranks right up there alongside iconic big-screen pairings like Elliott and E.T. or Hogarth and the Iron Giant. This is, after all, a movie about the connection between a boy and his big, huggable robot. And in this regard — and in true Disney fashion — it doesn't disappoint.
4 out of 5.
 

Ejanss

BANNED
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
2,789
Real Name
EricJ
Yavin said:
a loose adaptation of the niche Marvel Comics miniseries, and it tells the origin story for the titular superhero team (made up of whiz kid Hiro Hamada, his inflatable robot sidekick, Baymax, and their friends, Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred).
Yeah, a loose adaptation--
The Marvel fans chuckle at the line where Fred asks for "something that can turn me into a giant lizard!", since, in the comics...that IS his power.
 

Patrick Sun

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 30, 1999
Messages
39,659
"Big Hero 6" was entertaining animated fare, kids and adults will enjoy it. The main character, Hiro, gets plenty of character development and background story. My main misgiving was the short-shrift given to the rest of the "team", but I guess we'll get more backstory in future installments of this new "franchise". Baymax's character design/personality got a lot of laughs throughout the film.

I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B.
 

Edwin-S

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2000
Messages
10,000
It was a pleasant enough time at the flicks. It hit all the right beats for me. It had warmth, humour, and some downbeat moments. I don't get the complaints about the other characters not getting character development. The story was about Hiro and Baymax's relationship and about Hiro's connection to his brother via Baymax. Why spend time on character development for side characters if it adds nothing to the main storyline? The story in this film was pretty focused on the characters that it needed to focus on. The clip at the end of the credits was good too. It always amazes me that people just up and leave at the start of the credit roll, even though it is a given that there is going to be something at the end of the credits for these films, especially on films based on Marvel properties.

I'm giving the film a B+.
 

Sam Favate

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2004
Messages
12,923
Real Name
Sam Favate
Taking the kids to this today; looking forward to it. I have no knowledge of the characters, just trust in the Disney movie makers who have been on a roll in the last 6 years or so.
 

Walter C

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2006
Messages
2,409
Real Name
Walter
Sounds very promising, and I will definitely see this in theaters at least once.

So how was the short "Feast"?
 

Sam Favate

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2004
Messages
12,923
Real Name
Sam Favate
Feast was great; one of the best Disney shorts, which is saying a lot. A delightful six or seven minutes.

Big Hero 6 was a lot of fun, and Baymax (and Scott Adsit) deserve a lot of the credit. The movie looks like it's there to be merchandised (unlike Frozen which had that fairy tale look; either way, Disney will sell a lot of stuff from each). But the movie is fun and exciting and even sweet in places. The rest of the cast is largely in the background, except for Hiro and Baymax, who are the clear standouts. Look for that big white puffy guy to become more recognizable than the Stay-Puft Marshmellow Man.
 

Ejanss

BANNED
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
2,789
Real Name
EricJ
Walter C said:
Sounds very promising, and I will definitely see this in theaters at least once.

So how was the short "Feast"?
Basically, Lady's puppy flashbacks mixed with "Paperman". Nice, but nothing of note.

The movie itself is good--and has all the emotion that Frozen didn't have (and which I can now describe as "On a level of 1 to 10, please describe your pain..." ;) )--but it's not Wreck-It Ralph or Meet the Robinsons by any stretch of the imagination.
There's not enough of the rest of the team to make it Marvel-cool, and the huggy metaphors about loss end up undercutting the comic-book action:
The insistence on having the "Pixar Disillusionment-Twist" means we pretty well know who the villain is about ten minutes into the movie
(not to mention the now well-established James Cromwell Sci-Fi rule--If James Cromwell plays the legendary patriarchal inventor of the technology, you know who'll turn out to be behind all the conspiracies...)
and that's the problem--They make nasty tycoon Krei not only bad, but such a complete Dreamworks Jerk that at the end,
when the "real" villain wants to destroy him, we're sitting there thinking, "Annnnd, we want to stop this....why?" If there was a line about "You can't do this, it'll go wrong and take out the entire city!", okay, maybe, but...

It's so rushed about establishing the other four characters, that as a pilot for a CGI Disney Channel series, I'm up for more, but what we got here feels...unfinished, in a way. Not in a bad way, just in a sort of Princess & the Frog way--I liked it, but was not satisfied with the treatment.
 

DaveF

Moderator
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Messages
28,670
Location
Catfisch Cinema
Real Name
Dave
Big Hero 6 is a revenge story of sorts, as the hero, Hiro, uses his wits and balloon-robot Baymax to find the villain that stole his invention.BH6 is gorgeous. I enjoyed the art direction, and several sequences were thrilling. I believed San Frantokyo was real and inhabited. The story unfortunately was at odds with itself and the world's reality. We are introduced to 14 year old Hiro, child prodigy and inventor. The introduction lead me to expect a conflict and challenges balanced against the maturity and experiences of a young teen. Instead, we are given a city-destroying super villain, who would coldly and without provocation kill Hiro were the villain not inexplicably incompetent.The villain's motivation is not organic to the story, bolted on simply to have a bad guy. And that motivation never explains his murderous attitude towards Hiro.Consequently, the emotional heart of the story fails completely; scenes that should have been powerful are robbed of effect.Similarly, the supporting cast make no sense. The story sets up a "normal" cadre; but none act consistent to their world, motivations, or abilities.BH6 reveals itself at the end to be a 90 minute effort at Disney product development. I assume comics, TV shows, actions figures, and video games are to follow.If I take myself back to being 10 years old, this movie would be marvelous wish fulfillment. I think I'd have loved it. But as an adult, it was a disappointment. And yet, I would enjoy another story in the city of San Frantokyo: it was great to visit and I'd like to return.
 

Ejanss

BANNED
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
2,789
Real Name
EricJ
DaveF said:
The villain's motivation is not organic to the story, bolted on simply to have a bad guy. And that motivation never explains his murderous attitude towards Hiro.
Yeah, a good character who "suddenly" turns out to be the murderous villain out of the clear blue sky with little to no last-minute motivation, just because the plot was missing a third-act climax...Disney's never done a movie like that, have they? ;)
DaveF said:
BH6 reveals itself at the end to be a 90 minute effort at Disney product development. I assume comics, TV shows, actions figures, and video games are to follow.
In this case, though, it's justice:The criminally-ignored supporting-character heroes DESERVE the time and attention of a Disney XD series. It's only fair.
(Besides, a series improved "Atlantis", when that movie didn't know what to do with its wacky supporting-characters.)
 

DaveF

Moderator
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Messages
28,670
Location
Catfisch Cinema
Real Name
Dave
I'll admit my inattention to recent Disney movies :) as I'm not familiar enough to know the other cases when they had an antagonist of similar ilk. I wrote my comments before reading the thread, I was surprised to see I'm the only one who didn't love it. I was talking with a friend on facebook and found the same, that others really enjoyed it, much more than me.Ah well. If I ever re-watch it, I'll be able to accept the movue for what is and better enjoy the ride for its own thrills.
 

Walter C

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2006
Messages
2,409
Real Name
Walter
I finally got around to seeing this film, and enjoyed it. Disney has hit another home run in this revival era, and glad to see that this sci-fi film is doing well at the box office. Still, I think the Best Animated Picture Oscar will go to Hiccup and Toothless instead. ;)Enjoyed the characters, and while I wish more attention was given to the other ones, the film had only so much time for character development. So I would not hold that against the film, as the focus is mainly on Hiro, Baymax, and their connection to Tadashi.

Edwin-S said:
The clip at the end of the credits was good too. It always amazes me that people just up and leave at the start of the credit roll, even though it is a given that there is going to be something at the end of the credits for these films, especially on films based on Marvel properties.
I'm guessing most of those, are parents who just eager to get out of the theater quickly, as I noticed the same thing. By the time that scene came up, it was just me and 3 other teens in the theater left.

Ejanss said:
Basically, Lady's puppy flashbacks mixed with "Paperman". Nice, but nothing of note.
And you can throw in the meeting of Roger and Anita as well. :)

Ejanss said:
(not to mention the now well-established James Cromwell Sci-Fi rule--If James Cromwell plays the legendary patriarchal inventor of the technology, you know who'll turn out to be behind all the conspiracies...)

Yeah, I thought the casting of Cromwell, spoiled it for me, as I knew who the main villain would be. After seeing him play the villain in other stuff. And that was part of my main gripe, is how predictable this film was.

Ejanss said:
and that's the problem--They make nasty tycoon Krei not only bad, but such a complete Dreamworks Jerk that at the end,
when the "real" villain wants to destroy him, we're sitting there thinking, "Annnnd, we want to stop this....why?" If there was a line about "You can't do this, it'll go wrong and take out the entire city!", okay, maybe, but...

I think it was about the right way and wrong way of dealing with grief after losing a loved one, and how getting revenge isn't going to make it any better.
 

steve jaros

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 30, 1997
Messages
971
Location
Baton Rouge, LA
Real Name
Steve
I'm a huge fan of Disney animation, especially their recent resurgence films. But, while I found BH6 to be enjoyable enough, it fell flat for me. I compared it unfavorably to the Incredibles, which to me captured all the magic of a super-hero team adventure that this film just didn't quite do for me.
 

DaveF

Moderator
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Messages
28,670
Location
Catfisch Cinema
Real Name
Dave
SPOILERSAnother incongruous aspect of the story was the "revenge" was unjustified. There was nothing to revenge. It was implied the fire was an accident; the villain seemed to play no part in it. And it's not at all clear what, if anything, the villain could have done to save the brother. In any case, there was no murder and there was nothing really to avenge.
 

Walter C

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2006
Messages
2,409
Real Name
Walter
DaveF said:
SPOILERS

Another incongruous aspect of the story was the "revenge" was unjustified. There was nothing to revenge. It was implied the fire was an accident; the villain seemed to play no part in it. And it's not at all clear what, if anything, the villain could have done to save the brother. In any case, there was no murder and there was nothing really to avenge.

I don't think there was anything the villain could have done to save the brother, and he just looked at his death as just collateral damage. Callahan just seemed hell-bent on revenge, that he was willing to kill anyone else who would get in his way.

And yeah, the revenge ended up being for nothing, as the daughter was found alive. But he did not know that until Baymax detected that there was life inside the portal.
 

cinerama10

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Messages
603
Real Name
peter
I was disappointed with BIG HERO 6. It started off great but ran out of steam rapidly. I noticed that there were 4 swear words mentioned during the film. At approx. 31 min. 23 sec. the 'F' word is heard.At 65min the word 'shit 'is heard and the 'F' word is again heard at 76mins 52 and 53 seconds. Did anyone else hear these words.Unusual for a Disney animated film.
 

DaveF

Moderator
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Messages
28,670
Location
Catfisch Cinema
Real Name
Dave
cinerama10 said:
I was disappointed with BIG HERO 6. It started off great but ran out of steam rapidly. I noticed that there were 4 swear words mentioned during the film. At approx. 31 min. 23 sec. the 'F' word is heard.At 65min the word 'shit 'is heard and the 'F' word is again heard at 76mins 52 and 53 seconds. Did anyone else hear these words.Unusual for a Disney animated film.
I think you might have heard wrong, or be confusing it with some other movie? I didn't notice such language. Checking a detailed, conservative review site shows nothing like you're describing.
http://www.kids-in-mind.com/b/bighero6.htm
 

Wayne_j

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2006
Messages
4,898
Real Name
Wayne
I didn't hear those words in that movie. If they were as you heard it would have been an automatic R rating.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,710
Messages
5,121,090
Members
144,146
Latest member
SaladinNagasawa
Recent bookmarks
0
Top