Critique the Critic

I chose to read the review that Tim Brayton wrote for the Pixar film Ratatouille. Although i have seen this movie, i decided to choose it to gain some insight on how critics felt about it. For me, the movie was thoroughly enjoyable and i would watch it again in a heartbeat. Tim makes it very clear in the review that this movie had surprisingly became his new favorite Pixar film. He makes an interesting statement saying that "you can think something is "the best," but you feel that something is your "favorite."" I had never thought of this judgment before reading this review, but it makes complete sense and i could not agree more with it. Brayton takes a different twist on reviewing the film by relating back to each and every past film that has been created by Pixar and comparing the differences to Ratatouille. He addresses the fact that Pixar, along with many other production companies, are in the race of filmmakers who endure the task of constantly coming up with something bigger and better then the last film. I agree with Brayton when he points out that this film teaches, in depth, about a culture that is typically forgotten about. He talks about how previous films have an awkward mixture of emotions that are presented in the film, and unlike the others, Ratatouille has an even balance of intimacy and playfulness. What i found in this movie, was that with every one sad event that occurred, two happy events tagged along after. The humor in the film was appropriate and accommodating for all ages and the film in general was one of those movies that the whole family could enjoy. This being said, i would agree with Brayton that this film is "2007's best adventure movie, and most moving coming-of-age story." What really added to the movie, as Brayton states, is the fact of how the composer was able to musically dramatize food, something that we don't see too often. The positive insanity of the animation was what drew my attention to the movie the most. Brayton tells of how he believes that no one has taken as much advantage of the freedom of personal projects as the director Brad Bird has, making him easily "the greatest director of animation currently working in America." Not only was the animation remarkable but the cast was as well. It amazes me how much i agree with every opinion stated in this review from start to finish. Brayton does a flawless job of capturing the highlights of this movie and proves his points with great detail following behind each one. This positivity in this review leaves the reader with promising advice and draws the reader to want to see the film. If i had not already seen this movie, this review would be without a doubt, convincing enough to get me out to the theatre.