Rating: Summary: A colorful fish story about the need for independence. Review: "Finding Nemo" is a cute underwater adventure for the whole family. The animation is superb, as you would expect from Pixar. There is color, action and excitement galore as a small fish named Nemo is abducted from his overprotective father, a clown fish named Marlin. Marlin has lost his entire family, except for Nemo, and he is determined that he will safeguard his only son from any and all dangers. This strategy backfires, as it usually does when parents are too smothering.I took a nine-year-old child with me, and this movie was just right for him. Although there is a brief homage to Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" and "The Birds," which will go right over a child's head, most of the movie runs along familiar lines that will appeal to children. Nemo is subject to countless dangers in the big, bad world, and dad risks his life time and again to get his son back. Comic relief is offered by Ellen DeGeneres, who plays Dory, a ditsy fish suffering from short-term memory loss. Dory tries to help Marlin in his quest, but she is in need of help herself. Albert Brooks does a good job as Marlin, and the supporting cast is also fun. "Finding Nemo" breaks little new ground, but it is fine entertainment for children of all ages.
Rating: Summary: Smart, witty, and funny. Review: Finding Nemo is the perfect summer film for the family. It's not raunchy at all. Sure there is a little kid humor, but then again this is made for the kids. There are smart jokes and just plain funny jokes. It should appeal to everyone. It's a 4 star flick that should been seen with the family.
Rating: Summary: Better than I expected... Review: I enjoyed all of the previous PIXAR movies, and when I heard they were making another film soonafter Monsters Inc., I was pretty excited; that is, 'till I started to see the first previews for it. I know that its not right to judge a movie by it's trailer, but for some reason I felt uninterested in this one, even if it was being made by PIXAR(which is one of my favorite animation studios, next to Studio Ghibli, Aardman Animation, and Gainax). I kept thinking to myself that no matter how beautiful Finding Nemo's computer-generated imagery was, beneath all of the 3-D FX the story probably would sink. I mean, the movie's about FISH. Now PIXAR's other movies dealt with toys, monsters, and even bugs, and yet still those ideas seemed pretty neat even before those movies came out. Now FISH don't have hands or anything like that; they just have fins. The most I thought they'd be able to do in the movie was swim. But even with my expectations that low, I didn't think the movie could get past 'em. Boy was I wrong. The movie wasn't at all; sure, I didn't think it was as good as the other PIXAR movies, but it still was WAY better than most of the animated tripe that came out last year and this year. One thing about Finding Nemo was that it felt different from the other PIXAR films; for once, one of the characters DIES. Plus, there's a scene where a forgetful blue fish named Dorrie(voiced by the hillarious Ellen DeGenerous(sp?)) gets hit hard by an object, causing a substantial amount of blood to seep out of her mouth. Nothing major, but it could creep out those who hate the sight of blood. The thing I didn't like about Finding Nemo was that the plot was predictable; The movie's title says it all. There should've been some sort of twist like in Toy Story 2 or Monsters Inc. But either way, the film's humor is something that saves it from drowning; that is, if you're not a very cynical person, you'll get at least a good laugh or two. The kids in the audience were in a riot when Dorrie began to speak to a whale in it's specific language. Something else was kinda funny, the mindless seagulls reminded me of that penguin from Wallace and Gromit. Anyway, another thing I didn't enjoy about the movie was Nemo's father, Marlin, who's VERY overprotective of his son. Supposedly its because of his overprotective-ness that causes Nemo to get taken away. Finding Nemo had another un-PIXAR-like quality; most of the film's music consisted of piano solos(which I liked), and there's no Randy Newman songs(like in PIXAR's last two movies). Anyway, the main draw of the movie is it's computer animation, which is astounding. This must be PIXAR's most detailed film to date. For instance, in one little 5 second scene when Nemo goes to 'school', you get to see a whole swarm of different kinds of fish doing many different things and swimming everywhere. And the level of detail they put on creatures such as the shark, Bruce, and the whale, was amazing. Some scenes actually looked life-like, especially when you get to see Australia. Props to the animators at PIXAR, they must've had alot of work to do to complete this film. Finding Nemo was a pretty great movie, compared to most of the other animated stuff america has produced. I'd just wished Bruce the shark had a bigger part; that guy's cool and kinda scary-looking. He's got 3-rows of teeth! :)
Rating: Summary: how can Finding Nemo be a G movie! Review: Finding Nemo was a great movie. Ellen as Dory and Albert Brooks as Marlin were a histerical team,but some scenes in this movie were panacking(including some parts of when Nemo was trying to escape). I cant believe why MPAA rated this movie G it had to be at least a PG movie. This is propably not the best movie for sensitive little children but still a good flick, and this is propably not the best Disney movie Disney Studios has made. Even some horror movies are least panacking then this one.
Rating: Summary: One of Pixar's best Review: Pixar just doesn't seem to get tired of making good films. They are the most reliable makers of animated films today, and "Finding Nemo" is certainly no exception. My favorite Pixar film has been "Toy Story 2" ever since I first saw it. Somehow it improved on the wonderful original film,, adding additional layers to existing characters and pushing them into even greater events. I think I may have a new favorite now. I should say I'm a sucker for good "road trip" movies, stories in which the characters are on a quest and must get from point A to point B to do what needs to be done. The plot device allows us to meet many wonderful characters along the way, see many foreign places. It's a great way to constantly keep the viewer fully engaged with the film. As long as it's done right, that is. "Finding Nemo" does it right in spades. The story follows Marlin, (Albert Brooks) a single parent/clownfish raising his only son, Nemo. When Nemo, tired of his dad?s over-protective nature, disobeys his father, he lands himself in big trouble ? the fish tank of an Australian Dentist. So Marlin, and his newfound friend Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) go on the search for Nemo. Just like Pixar's other films, it seems the makers cram in every great idea, every funny event or joke, explore every angle in the movie they come up with. There are enough ideas and jokes here for this picture and a sequel. But they don't hold back, they use 'em all in just the one flick. Also, just as important, are the characters. Where as in most animated films, the characters are drawn a certain way, perhaps given a quirky voice, and that's it for characterization and development. Not so for Pixar and "Finding Nemo." Every character, no matter how minor, is given a motivation, given a living personality. Character's here aren't content to just exist. They want to live. This is what makes a great children's film simultaneously be a great adult film. And how could I leave out the breathtaking animation. Perhaps "Finding Nemo" is just on par with my former favorite "Toy Story 2" in every other category. But the animation here of the beautiful ocean and tropical landscape is such a joy to watch. Never have I been more smitten with the sheer look of an animated film. The Jellyfish look like they're right out of a National Geographic, the choral reefs so lifelike, everything is just beautiful. It?s the images that we imagine whenever we want to get away to paradise, and since it's all controlled in a computer, we get to see it all and then some. "Finding Nemo" is certainly proving the good track record rule of Pixar. Can they make a bad film? Let's hope they never give us an answer.
Rating: Summary: My New Favorite Movie. Review: I saw "Finding Nemo" twice, and I must say it was so good that I now offically have a "favorite movie." Before, people would ask: "What's your favorite movie?" I honestly never had one. I liked tons of movies equally. This, however, is the 'perfect' movie. First of all, I love fish. I always have. So it's huge fun for me to watch a realistic, beautifully done fish movie. But it's just as much fun for everybody else because it's so immensely entertaining. I'm a bit obsessed with "Nemo" now, I admit...I've got Nemo books and screensavers and games and I even have a little Crush screenbuddy who talks to me. I watch "Nemo" featurettes and clips and trailers endlessly. I just can't seem to get enough of these fish. The best method for me to truly convey how great this movie is (which really isn't necessary, since almost everyone else already did), would be for me to prove wrong one of the few bad reviews. So I will do that, and you'll be able to figure out which one it is. This particular person seems to have found the film boring, when in fact it is extremely entertaining. There is no "bad guy" in this movie--and that is an asset! It proves that superior films can be made WITHOUT an 'evil' character who's out to destroy the hero, and eventually get punished. Another point made pertained to the film's exposition. Supposedly there were some children who were confused as to what happened after a barracuda came "out of nowhere" to kill Coral and eat the eggs. This part of the movie is, in actuality, VERY well explained and easy to follow, and if any youngsters do get lost, it IS simple enough to explain: They. Were. Eaten. There you go. Also, it seems to have been thought that a barracuda showing up early in the movie is unrealistic or bad. Considering there is always potential danger near a real coral reef, it's perfectly realistic. And I personally see nothing wrong with starting the action of a movie quickly rather than letting things drag on. Then there's the humor issue. "No funny parts" through the movie, huh? Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but since I laughed hysterically, and since every other person in the theater BOTH times were kept laughing by this movie, I'd say the fact is that "Finding Nemo" is a VERY funny movie. And the last points had to do with Nemo, drains, and the word 'forgettable.' I'm sorry, but it requires a worse memory than Dory to forget these characters or their names! The truth is: "Finding Nemo" is inarguably one of THE most memorable movies ever made. So much for that. As for Nemo getting burned in an incinerator...RIIIIIGHT. I suppose THAT'S why he ended up back in the ocean, where ALL drains DO lead eventually. Pixar movies are always well-researched; trying to argue with their plots gets one nowhere. So much for that as well. I sincerely hope that my approach to proving to you how fantastic a movie "Finding Nemo" is (that is, by disproving negative comments), has helped. Or at least, I hope you read this and other reviews and make the decision to see it if you haven't yet.
Rating: Summary: stunning visuals - average story - wait for the DVD Review: The visuals of the movie were wonderful - many times you could almost think the fish were real. The voice talent in this movie I would say was medium - Ellen DeGeneres was great and Willem Dafoe was good too as one of the fish in the dentist's tank, as well as the voice of the sea turtle by Andrew Stanton. None of other performances stood out to me. The plot was OK - early in the movie Nemo loses his mother and is cared for by his overprotective father Marlin. Through the movie both Nemo and his father get a big adventure and learn something about themselves. What really saves this movie from being just mediocre is Ellen DeGeneres as Dory, a fish with short term memory loss. Dory is responsible for the majority of the laugh out loud moments in the movie - one moment in particular when she is trying to talk whale speak provides the film's best laugh. In summary, this is probably the 3rd best Pixar movie (after the Toy Story movies but better than Monsters Inc and Bug's Life) but not an enduring classic. 3 stars - wait for the DVD.
Rating: Summary: Endearing characters, great movie! Review: Pixar has outdone themselves once again. "Finding Nemo" is the dramatic, sometimes sad & scary, sometimes drop-dead hilarious, tale (or should I say "tail"?) of a Father trying to find his lost son. In this case, the father (voice over by Albert Brooks), Marlin, is a clownfish living in a sea anemone. His son, Nemo, evokes images of Dicken's "Tiny Tim" character with his defective fin. In light of todays news headlines where children are forcibly kidnapped from their own homes, the opening of the film may be too intense and overwhelming for some sensitive youngsters. As with its other movies ("Toy Story," "Monsters, Inc.," etc.), the story is so well written, it can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. As someone who has a salt water aquarium at home with a pair of clownfish and a regal tang (the species of Dory, played by Ellen DeGeneres), I know first hand how these fish move through water and interact with other fish in the tank. It's obvious that the artists involved in animating these characters studied their biology and behavior for hours on end. A few times, the fish are literally out of the water, and as the water on their skin begins to drip off, you can see the subtle highlights in their scales. Magnificent work. Obviously, the fish are given human-like eyes... a truly necessary component to get you emotionally involved with these characters. Even Bruce, the Great White shark, is an endearing fellow with an Australian accent. Despite the human-like characteristics, the adherence to physiological details on the rest of these species is incredible. The lighting has such an effect that you feel like you are under water with the fish. The gentle swaying of the coral and anemones is surreal... just like the real Great Barrier Reef. In reality, some of these fish would never encounter each other in the wild... and we all know that Starfish do not have eyes or smiley faces... but you do not care about those minor details while watching this film. Dory is the beautiful blue & yellow regal tang fish who teams up with Marlin to find his son. Her tendency to forget almost everything she hears is a part of the charm of this character. Ellen DeGeneres' voice was perfect for this fish. The facial expressions on the characters, modeled after the actors that did their voices, are also priceless. This movie is far more than eye-candy. The story and comedic timing are so good, it could be done with stick-figures and still be good. This movie is an absolute delight. When it is released on DVD, it will immediately be added to my collection - this is a film I could see time and time again.
Rating: Summary: Finding Nemo Review: Perhaps Pixar's fifth animated romp "Finding Nemo" was inevitable to such praise as it got (being the best reviewed movie of 2003) because it surely deserved it! The concept is simple: Marlin, a clown fish (after a tragedy) becomes an overprotective father to his son, Nemo. Nemo gets lost and Marlin must embark on a quest to save Nemo (in the traditional Pixar fashion I might add). Marlin then meets Dory, a very forgetful fish (the comic relief of the film) and they become friends. Meanwhile Nemo is at a fish-tank at a dentists office in Australia, and there with the help of the other fish (a starfish stuck to the wall, a mysterious fish named Gil and other humorous personalities) try to escape to the ocean from a girl with a reputation to "kill fish". The visual effects in this movie are the best yet in a(CG)animated movie. ****1/2 stars A- highly reccomended.
Rating: Summary: THE BEST DISNEY MOVIE I'VE SEEN IN AWHILE! Review: This is one of the must-see movies of the summer. I loved it! The story was captivating and the animation was awesome! The voice talent in this movie was also great. This is another triumph from Pixar, and after this, I hope they continue to make excellent movies such as this one. This was more than a movie...this was art! I loved it! Funny and moving. Highly Recommended!
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