Babe was a monumental achievement in film, produced by George Miller (Happy Feet). Based on Dick King-Smith's classic children's book Babe, The Gallant Pig, Babe seemingly has been dismissed by a shockingly high number of serious film fans as "that talking pig movie." Babe was much more than that – it was a mix of incredible visual effects, humor, satire, pathos, drama, and perhaps the greatest opening line in 25 years of film at that point in history: "This is the story of an unprejudiced heart and how it changed our valley forever." That's not a kid's movie line – that's art. Babe proved that a film with real heart and a real message can be deeply moving and an actual film classic.
Now, 12 years later, an almost equal achievement, and one that no doubt will be pooh-poohed when Oscar time rolls around: Ratatouille is another great film, one that transcends its "children's movie" status to become one of the few animated films (Miller's Happy Feet is one of the handful of others) that's so entertaining that it becomes a must-see for both children and adults. Director and writer Brad Bird has fashioned an original, heartwarming story that's long on laughs and deep with actual soul and wit.
Those factors must be taken into consideration when considering family films, too many of which are simply jangly, noisy, transparent attempts to sell tie-in merchandise. From the highly disappointing Cars to tawdry, crass films such as Night At The Museum, many "family" filmmakers seem to design their films as if their audience walks in charged up on a steady diet of Cocoa Puffs and Sour Patch Kids. However, filmmakers such as Miller and Bird actually respect their audiences, and deliver such passé elements as story, plot, character development, and real human emotion to their work. Miller and Bird are so highly skilled that they make such lesser lights as Chris Buck look like Sam Peckinpah.
At risk of revealing too much of the simple story here, we'll reveal that a rat named Remy (voiced by the outstanding standup comedian Patton Oswalt) dreams of becoming a top gourmet chef. Naturally, there are many troubles and travails that Remy must ensue in order to make such a lofty dream come true – heavens, there's a rat in the kitchen! – but there are so many funny plot twists and turns that the entire process is funny, touching, and even thrilling in spots. Add to it all the great voice work logged by Oswalt, Janeane Garafolo, Brad Garrett, and Lou Romano, tremendous Pixar animation, and a perfect score, and this ranks as perhaps the best evening at the cinema thus far this year.
So, yes, Babe failed to win Best Picture in 1995. But which do you actually
remember: Babe and Farmer Hogett standing triumphantly in the sheepherding
ring, or the hundreds of dead bodies of Braveheart? Likewise, you'll no doubt
remember the story and gentle achievements of little Remy long after the gore,
noise, and tumult of pure crap such as the Die Hard series fades into memory.
– Syl Nathan
The plot lines are too superficial and drawn out. As an attempt to connect the Transformers to mankind, multiple story lines are used that by the middle of the movie have humans entangled in the midst of the Transformers battle. The primary story is the primitive tale of good versus evil. Two groups of robot aliens, the virtuous Autobots and the evil Decepticons from the planet Cyber Ron, have been battling over their life source, known as the “All spark.” The Decepticon, led by Megaton, want to use the “All-star” to destroy the universe, while Optimums Prime and the other Autobots are trying to save the planets from the annihilation. When the “All spark” is sensed on Earth, the war is moved here.
Another pivotal plot within the movie is the story of Sam Witwicky, an awkward high school boy who goes through the normal occurrences of an adolescent: school, girls, and his first car. Only Sam, played by LaBeouf (Disturbia), learns that his beat-up 1969 Camaro is an alien robot named Bumblebee.
The third story line consists of the United States government and the military and its reaction to having technological secrets being stolen from right under their noses. With veteran actor Voight as the U.S. Secretary of Defense and up-and-coming Josh Duhamel as Army Captain Lennox, it is humorous to watch how baffled the government becomes in how to deal with the situation.
While the plot is incredibly weak, there were several aspects of the writing that really noteworthy, one of which was the edification of women. The two gorgeous female characters are used more than just as eye candy. Mikaela (Fox) and Rachael Taylor were the brains and the strength of the movie. Knowing when to bend the rules for the greater good, the ladies were vital characters throughout the story. Smart humor was also used between exhilarating action sequences. When the humor was more politically driven, it appeared in a subtle manner – but when given an opportunity, the film utilized the improvisational talents of Mac, Anderson, and Turturro. The result was laugh out loud funny.
Despite the famous cast, the lavish GM vehicles are the true stars of the
movie. However, the actors' creativity in interacting with the computer-generated
robot aliens is what makes the audience believe that the Transformers are
real. From the success of this film, a sequel will be in the works soon, if
it is not already. As long as the next film uses the special effects from
this movie as a foundation, it will be another highly anticipated blockbuster.
And for those who were fans of the cartoon series growing up, yes, the Transformers
make “the noise” when they covert from vehicles to robots.
– Faith Rackoff
