Student Film Reviews

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1. Linnea Nilsson 02.17.14 / 7pm

   I was too a little bit disappointed with the story, it was kind of flat and nothing unpredictable happened. But maybe the expectations were too high since the first one was so good? I agree about the animation, I have always been so impressed of how they actually can make a movie just with animation. It’s crazy. Good review!
2. Courtney LaViale 04.01.14 / 10pm

   Hi! I like your review. I liked your introduction of this film, because you included your love and excitement for this film. Whenever I read reviews I always luke to hear their perspective because if they are excited about the movie and wanting to write a review on it, it inquires me to keep reading. I also liked your take and perspective, such as when you being to say “Ever since green one-eyed Mike Wazowski was a little monster he has dreamed of going to Monsters University and in that way become a Scarer at Monsters Inc. He is an expert in all the rules and techniques to be scary..”. I like how you ended your review with a comparison to another movie, it shows that you paid your full attention to this movie. Job Well done!
3. Mia Owens1 04.03.14 / 11am

   Good review. I do agree with everything because really predictable. The thing i got from the movie was that the “popular” kids are not always the better people. When the “misfits” of the fraternity joined to become a team in the “scare games” it shows that they each have a specific talent that they needed to help each other grow. It shows that team work is key, even if everyone doesn’t agree with everything. Friendship is key in this movie. Good friends make good times and you always win with good friendships. (not trying to sound cheesy).
4. Alexander Paige 07.05.14 / 8pm

   I have never seen this movie but I am definitely a fan of the original Monsters, Inc and of Pixar movies in general, so hearing that this film was a let-down is disappointing. The aspect of these animated films that I enjoy the most is the frequent and subtle use of symbolism. I always find that watching the movie for a second or third time will yield new discoveries in this. For this reason, I wonder if viewing this film again would be more enjoyable for you.
5. Jazmin Alonso-Ayala 07.05.14 / 10pm

   My friend and I planned a date to watch this movie because we loved the first one and we were so excited to watch the sequel. Although we did enjoy the film and had a few laughs throughout the film, I have to agree with this review, it did not live up to it’s expectations. I enjoyed the new funny characters but the sequels usually never live up the the original film. I am glad we got to see the story about how Mike and Sully ended up becoming best friends and co-workers. Although we did enjoy this film, it is probably a film I would rather not watch again.
6. rarce 07.10.14 / 2am

   Monsters University was very disappointing for me. In all honesty I am sure more people would have enjoyed a sequel then a prequel. While it was nice and interesting to learn how Mike and Sully got into the scare business I’m sure everyone wants to know what happened to Boo. I agree that like all sequels and prequels (With the exclusion of a few) Monsters University did not live up to my expectations. Yes it was funny and it was also interesting to see more monsters and more of the monster world, I would have rather have had a sequel of the same quality as this, than this.
7. Taylor Stanek 10.17.14 / 6pm

   Ever since Monsters Inc first came out in 2001 I was in love. When I heard they were making Monsters University I couldn’t believe it. It was crazy to look back and realize how fast time has gone and that I was actually attending college when it came out and only in first grade when it was made! I thought it was interesting how Mike and Sully got into the scare business because it reminded of the fraternities and sororities and how you have to make a certain cut in order to get in. I didn’t like this film as much as the first and I agree with rarce about how they should of just made a sequel.
8. Adrianne 02.05.15 / 8am

   I agree, that Monsters University was an overall let down from the other Monster movies. The animation was exactly how you said it, amazing. There is nothing that can be criticized about their technique in animation however, I wished that some of the characters that were in Monsters University would have been ones we saw in the other films. For example, Randall Boggs was shown in the movie but not for a long time. If he could have been used more in the plot and in the movie then it would have been more attention grabbing and fun in my opinion. Although as you said Caroline, there was not really a plot and when there was one it would change throughout the movie. For me a good movie has a strong plot. In my opinion if the plot is strong, it is hard to mess up the movie. Great Review!!
9. Katie Cummins 07.13.15 / 2pm

   Overall I think this is a great review in which you nicely incorporated a full summary as well as your personal opinion of the film. I really like that you summed up the film by asking your reader the overall question which the movie addressed. I feel you nicely balanced your critiques with positive comments about the film, your personal perspective felt honest. I agree that prequels and sequels are often a bit disappointing to fans and I like that you added that reality into your comments. I am a big Monsters inc. fan and Pixar fan in general so I was excited to see these characters brought to life once more. However, I agree that it wasn’t quite as good as Monsters inc. The worldwide statistic shows that Monsters University had a larger Box Office Gross as compared to Monsters inc. which shows how the franchise has sustained loyal fans. Great post!
10. Jenna McDonough 07.29.15 / 7pm

    Completely agree with everything you said in this review. I too was just a kid when the original Monsters Inc. came out. I loved it so much and watched it a lot growing up because my baby sister loved to watch it on replay. I was really excited about Monsters U. I did enjoy it immensely, even if the story line was not as good and the jokes were not as funny. As you stated though, it might be because as a kid lots of things are funny that you just don’t see as funny as an adult. Not the worse prequel Ive ever seen though.
11. gabriela mejia 10.22.18 / 2pm

    HI! I VERY MUCH AGREE WITH YOUR REVIEW. I LOVE MONSTER INC. AS A CHILD, AND STILL DO. IT WAS DIFFERENT AND WILL FOREVER BE A CHILDHOOD CLASSIC. I WAS A LITTLE BIT DISAPPOINTED WHEN MONSTERS UNIVERSITY CAME OUT BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE BETTER THAN THE FIRST, BUT SEQUELS ARE NEVER BETTER..BUT I AGREE WITH YOUR TAKE ON THE ANIMATION!
12. Valeria Beketava 03.01.19 / 6pm

    Caroline,

    The boys are back in town only its not a sequel but a prequel and we see how Mike and Sulley became friends. Like you mentioned, waiting for this movie to come out was a gruesome process, even worse then waiting on the incredibles 2. Monster’s University colors are bright, bold, vivid and gosh darn beautiful. On top of that the detail here is astounding, everywhere you look in each frame or scene there is something going on. Of course being set within a school there is plenty to create, plenty of visual gags, injokes, etc..the possibilities are pretty endless and sure enough its all covered here. The visuals, like in most animation, is drop dead gorgeous, but the actual plot is cliche, and could have been done a way better job with the storyline. I agree with your response if you’re a fan of the first movie, you cannot go without watching the prequel. Otherwise, you won’t miss out without watching.
13. Coleman Mortensen 07.31.20 / 10pm

    I love when specific movie sequels pop up with a foundational element for what has already been presented. By doing this many of our questions become answered. “Monsters University” does a fabulous job at answering these before unanswered questions. Anyways, this review wonderfully incorporated character descriptions in relation to the story that they fit perfectly into. I also enjoyed the connection to various films as they related to the monsters etc of “Monsters University.” By using these examples readers understand the influence specific structures and mise-en-scene play on the films of our future. Anyways great write up!
14. Makhi Barber 01.17.21 / 12am

    In reference to this review I do agree with many sequels especially this one not living up yo its name. Im pretty sure as kids we all couldn’t wait to see the new monster inc movies but when we got them they just weren’t the same. The film isn’t terrible it just will never outshine the original monsters inc film. The film narrative was kind of bland at times and made me feel like the directors were scrambling to piece something together, but the overall form makes things easy to understand while also giving viewers who watched the original the older more established type of feel with the characters . I still enjoy watching this film no matter what!
15. Crystal Lightsey 03.05.22 / 8am

    As many commenters ahead of me have said, and the original review, I agree that sequels and prequels rarely live up to the hype of the original movie. Something I have often noticed especially with animated movies is that the focus on quality will noticeably dip with the second and subsequent movies. Like the second movie was rushed and so they took more shortcuts. I will say that I did not see that in this case. I think that is something they did right with Monsters University. As the original review stated, it was fun to see all these new monsters, wondering what they were able to do. I also agree with the poster’s opinion of the plot being rather predictable making it less enjoyable for the older generations. It felt like I knew what the plan was going to be the entire time and it was a little dry in that aspect. Overall, I agree that the movie is not a flop, it was still well done, it is just a much more children-driven movie than the original one was and that makes it a little sad. If adults don’t have children and don’t want to see it, they won’t really miss out on much.
16. Emily Cornwell 06.24.23 / 11pm

    Great review! Monsters Inc is one of my favorite movies and I found the sequel, Monsters University to be pretty good and meet my expectations. Although I enjoyed Monsters Inc more, Monsters University was enjoyable to watch and is a great movie to watch for all ages. The organization of the film made the plot easy to comprehend which allowed the audience to have a better understanding of the characters. The visuals in the movie are great and I absolutely love all of the detail on each of the monsters.
17. B. Pyle 07.22.23 / 4pm

    Hi Caroline, You did a really good job on the review and the sequel to Monster’s inc. Sounds like something I might like to see because of it. I read an article on the formula for the Disney animated movies, and it says there is usually a plot twist at the end to provided for some continuity or discontinuity to keep the viewers interested. As a fan of the original, this one seems like enough of a good story to see it. I like all of the creative characters, and it seems like there are some new ones in this sequel. Billy Crystal and John Goodman always do a good, expresive job with the voice-overs. Thanks.
18. AJ El Arabi 09.19.23 / 4pm

    I was excited to read a review on Monsters University as I was a big fan of the prequel to the original Monsters University. My personal favorite aspect to the film was the growing relationship between Mike Wazowski and Sully. Although I enjoyed the film, I liked your comment that if you are not a fan of the series then it probably is not worth the watch. I also agree that the plot was quite “cliche”. Overall, I have pretty similar views on the Monsters University film as a whole.
19. Sophia Marine 10.20.23 / 6pm

    I was interested to read a view about this movie, since it was the sequel to a well-known and loved movie. I agree with the fact that the humor was not as prominent as many of us hoped it would be. As the author said, the movie was very predictable and harder to get through if you’re not young. I think that this movie was cute and nostalgic, but it definitely could have been better.

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