Four Films in a Day - Part One (Big Hero 6 + Paddington)

In celebration of finishing our mock exams, my friend & I indulged a ‘full movie day’ at our local cinema and saw 4 films in a day (basically for free may I add – bless you Cineworld Unlimited!). So here is a review for the first two of the films I saw that day:

BIG HERO 6

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After the blockbuster success of Frozen, Walt Disney Animation Studios had a lot to live up to with their next release Big Hero 6, an adaptation of a lesser known Marvel Comics title. Luckily, this animated superhero romp is a real treat that stands among Disney’s strong films. Directors, Don Hall and Chris Williams fill the film with excellent action sequences, great humour and colourful & memorable characters.

The plot shines when focusing on the heartfelt relationship between protagonist, Hiro and the huggable healthcare droid Baymax, invented by his deceased brother, Tadashi, finding real poignancy in Hiro’s status as Baymax’s “patient”. His belief that going on adventures and spending time with his friends will help Hiro deal with his unresolved grief offers an unsentimental look into mortality and how it can affect young people, proving Disney’s readiness to tackle serious issues in their blockbusters. However in the film’s third act, this heart is lost slightly due to a descent into the more formulaic waters of a typical ‘team-up’ superhero movie with a fairly unremarkable villain and large action set-piece. It’s a shame but luckily doesn’t take away the impact of the film’s earlier themes.

Overall, Big Hero 6 is a fun and well delivered family film. The city of San Fransokyo is gorgeously animated and designed to combine elements of Japanese and American culture while the central friendship of Hiro and Baymax provides a genuinely heartfelt backbone to the film that is unfortunately diminished by the slightly more lacklustre and unoriginal final act. 

★★★½

PADDINGTON

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Out-of-nowhere, Paddington has become one of the highest grossing and best received films of 2014 in the UK and after finally seeing it, it’s not hard to see why. Adapted from the classic Paddington Bear stories, this is an effortlessly charming and delightful family film, filled with wit and fun that while targeted towards a younger audience, is sprinkled with knowing gags for adult audiences that truly make it a film ‘for the whole family’.

Director, Paul King (of The Mighty Boosh) and co-writer, Hamish McColl update the original stories into a modern London setting, with mild satiric undertones critiquing the xenophobia and anti-immigrant beliefs that are all too common in British society. King’s imagining of London somewhat resembles Wes Anderson’s quirky style and creates a lovely – though sadly monocultural – depiction of the city, while the film’s cast of great British character actors - including the likes of Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins as the Brown parents, with Peter Capaldi and Julie Walters in supporting roles – are great fun in their roles.

In conclusion, Paddington is simply a family treat. It may not be pushing many boundaries with its plot but its charm and good-hearted nature has deservedly won audiences over.

★★★★

'Part Two' will be up tomorrow, featuring reviews of Jupiter Ascending and Shaun the Sheep Movie! Also, please leave a comment telling me your own thoughts on these films, and on my reviews of them!