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Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo

List Price: $29.99
Your Price: $22.49
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ave Pixar!
Review: When you discover Pixar is releasing a new animation movie, run to the theaters at first opportunity. Everyhting is good, from the little lamp icon to the short animation before the movie starts, including the plot of the movie, the characters, the scenes and the unbelievable way Pixar technicians are able to transform dreams into reality. They have done it before with both "Toy story" movies, with the funny-as-hell "Monsters Inc." and they've done it again in "Finding Nemo". Well, almost. I think the story of "Finding Nemo" could be more gripping and enterteining. Still, perfection is hard to be obtained.

This time there are no talking toys, no monsters that hide in children's closets. This time it's about the sea. The plot is very simple. Marlin is a clown-fish, living happy in his new home with his companion and 400 eggs waiting to be born. He has plans for his future family, but these plans all get shattered when something real bad happens and all he has left is one little egg, the future Nemo. Nemo's life is full of safety measures. He can't swim in open sea, he has no friends, and he's going to school really late. Unfortunately, Nemo is caught by a human diver, and, unless his father will find a way to go to Sydney, Australia, Nemo will spend the rest of his life as a pet of a saddistic child. (Yes, the story is weaker than the Toy Story series, and weaker than Monsters inc., but this is supposedly a kids' movie, so I really didn't expected nothing like a Fellini movie based on a book by Umberto Eco.)

This seemingly simple story is greatly complemented by the characters in the movie. In fact there are so many memorable characters that Nemo and his father Marlin get a little overshadowed. Ellen DeGeneres is the voice of Dory (most of the characters have facial resemblance to their voice interpreters), a blue fish that will help Marlin in his way to Sydney; that is, she will help him when she remembers to do it, because, like Guy Pierce in Memento, "she has this condition". Dory is, no doubt, the funniest character in the story (the scene where she tries to speak the many "whale dialects" made the whole theater laugh hard). Crush is a 150-year-old turtle who speaks in surfers' slang. Bruce is a shark that creates a group that helps other sharks to understand fish are friends, not food. There are many others, all good characters. All of them are stereotypes, but they are so intelligently stereotyped that it makes the difference.

The animation is so fantasticaly real that I think small children are not able to fully undertand what they're seeing on screen. You have to be more of a grown up to notice the perfect details provided by Pixar technicians. Attention to detail is so high praised that the research and study behind this single movie must amount to lots of hours. (In fact, I got scared when Bruce the shark goes berzerk, because of the kind of detail portrayed in this scene.) That is just to say, people of all ages should watch "Finding Nemo"; each one will find a particular reason to enjoy it in their own way.

I give "Finding Nemo" 4 stars, instead of 5, because I have to compare it with other, better Pixar movies, like the ones I mentioned before in this review.

Grade 8.4/10

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Couple Scary Scenes, But a Wonderful Story
Review: I must have watched this DVD ten times with my three-year-old daughter. It is very entertaining, with enough "character" development and humor to hold a parent's attention.

The plot is essentially what the name implies. A scuba-diving dentist from Sydney separates a father clown fish named, Marlin, from his son, Nemo. Marlin must cross the ocean to rescue his son. On the way he encounters all sorts of adventures, picks up a charming companion, Dory (who suffers from short-term memory loss), and experiences real character growth. Meanwhile, Nemo gets transplanted into an aquarium with a host of other "Fish-Prisoners", who spend their time commenting on dental techniques and hatching escape plans. The dialog is delightful and the computer animations are spectacular.

There are two scary moments that parents should be mindful of. The first occurs very near the beginning, before Nemo is born. A barracuda attacks Marlin and Coral (Nemo's mother). The mother does not survive, but the violence is not graphic. She is simply not scene after the attack, and her death is implied. However, this scene usually prompts my daughter to ask, "Where Nemo's mommy at?"

The other scary part evolves a shark chasing Marlin and Dory through the hulk of an old sunken submarine (that happens to be in the middle of a minefield). This part is not too bad either, and of course, our heroes escape, unharmed.

--David Hitchcock, author, VIRTUAL LIFE and PATENT SEARCHING MADE EASY

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Stunning CG.
Review: Another winner for the former Disney partner. The CG just keeps getting better. Rich coloring, oustanding character movements amusing dialog in the screenplay, what a wonderful family friendly movie. The is an above average 4 star movie that is worth purchasing, and we did. Strongly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Touching movie
Review: This movie is very good. It is good. It is about this toaster that runs away from his dad because he is not as shiny as his dad and wants to hang out with the microwaves so he can have some butter popcorn for cheap. Well anyways, his dad, a George Foreman Grill, got scared and started looking for him underwater, for whatever reason, I don't know. His dad asked some refridgerators if he had seen his son, the refridgradors said he was in the pizza mart eating pizza. So his dad went there and burned up because of all the greasy pizza because hes a George Foreman Grill, and cant stand grease. The grill blew up and his son the toasted started to cry and toast crumbs came out of him and that day forward, he was known as the shiny toaster. Then some guy saw Mario in real life, and asked him if he had cleaned any parks lately, the toasted wasn't doing anything porductive so he killed himself and gave his parts to the forgetful microwave friends.

I hope this review was very helpful for you, This movie, Finding Toasted, was a touching, beatiful movie, and everyone should get the chance to watch some toasters and other electronics in action!! <(^.^)> (>^.^)> (>^.^<) (X.X) Kurby!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Big Blue
Review: Finding Nemo is an excellent movie. My most favorite character is Dory. She is hilarious but exasperating. One of my favorite parts is when Dory is jumping on the jellyfish like a trampoline. I like the fish way of life in this film. It is sad in the beginning but it gets much better.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I Found A GREAT Film in "Finding Nemo"!
Review: Disney's PIXAR studios have re-defined the world of animation time and again with their many film efforts. Such movies as "Toy Story," "Toy Story 2," "A Bug's Life" and "Monsters Inc." have introduced audiences around the world to the potential of computer animations as a medium for creating the "next generation" cartoon.

But nothing yet compares to the unparalleled quality of animation, storytelling and pure magic that was produced in their most recent effort "Finding Nemo".

The story centers around a clown fish whose son is taken by divers somewhere off the coast of Sydney, Australia. Marlin, father to Nemo, is an overly protective dad who will do anything to keep his son from danger. You see, his mate and all their other offspring were lost when they were attacked by another fish. So in a desperate act to save his one remaining child, Marlin sets out across the ocean to rescue his son.

The movie brings the ocean to life with rich, vibrant colors that are serene and immensely beautiful. The close attention to detail in this film gives the settings, characters, indeed the entire film, a level of depth and quality not commonly seen in a "cartoon". The animation is so completely convincing that viewers often lose sight of the fact that they are watching a cartoon and instead they become immersed in the beautifully detailed world created by this team of animators from Pixar.

The movie has many wonderful characters created by a cast of all star talent. Marlin is played by Albert Brooks, whose voice has so much inflection in it that he gives a vitality to the character that equals or surpasses the animation of his character. Ellen Degeneres plays "Dory", an absent-minded lady fish who serves as Marlin's companion on his adventure and serves much of the comic relief of the film. Other celebrites making an appearance in this film include: William Defoe as Gill, and Geoffery Rush as Nigel, an empathetic pelican who helps save the day.

The movie mixes humor with human emotion, giving "Nemo" a vitality most animated films lack in this current medium. The film is at once touching and compassionate, clever, witty and funy, combining tongue-in-cheek humor with a tender honesty that will make all audiences young and old a fan of this film.

The DVD set contains enough extras to keep families entertained for hours, even after the film itself has ended. Provided in this collection are both wide screen and full screen editions of the film, along with several shorts from Pixar studios, and a particularly memorable and entertaining short documentary "Exploring the Reef", which stars Jean-Michael Costeau (son of famed undersater explorer Jacque Costeau), as well as some of "Finding Nemo" favorites.

So, for those of you who have reservations about watching a "kids" movie, set them aside and give this one a chance. It is really a film for all ages, with enough humor, action, adventure and entertainment to provide entire families with an experience not soon to be forgotten.

Scott Kolecki

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Animation = Great, Movie=Overrated.
Review: After reading all the absolutely gushing reviews on Finding Nemo, (and weeding out all those who simply insist on rewording the back of the box), I have to admit I was somewhat dissapointed with this movie. I agree with the other review about some scenes being a bit disturbing (in implied violence) for very young children, and that the animation is top notch. However, as a story, I found it to be faily predictable (although I'm sure kids would like it). The genius of a lot of these animated movies is that they are simple enough for kids to like them, but contain enough obscure references and "wink-wink" moments to amuse adults. There were just not enough of these in this movie to keep me entertained. I can only remember about 3, and they all came in the latter 1/2 of the movie. The first 20 minutes actually had me asking, "where is this movie going?" Add to that the fact that I hadn't laughed once in that time frame, and I was thinking of heading to bed early.

A decent movie, but nowhere near as amusing as A Bug's Life or Toy Story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finding Nemo rules
Review: This Pixar-animated film rules...there's no doubt about it. Children and adults will enjoy this film immensely! The voices are perfect for each character, and you'll not only find Nemo but your innoncence again in this stellar movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Outstanding Family Film
Review: Once again, Pixar and Disney have joined forces to release a fun animated movie with a warm-hearted ending. The computer animated graphics and the story are just as touching as any other Pixar/Disney film. Finding Nemo is the story of two clownfish: Marlin(Albert Brooks)and his son Nemo. After his wife and all of his other children are devoured, Marlin becomes a nervous, overprotective father who fears the ocean and prefers to hide out in his sea anemone. On the first day of school, the day that Marlin finally lets go of his son (temporarily), Nemo is captured by an Australian scuba-diver/dentist. Marlin desperately searches for his son and is soon accompanied by a blue tang fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) who suffers from short-term memory. They face many dangers to find Nemo who meanwhile, is in danger himself. The dentist is going to present his frightening niece, Darla, with Nemo. Big trouble. Boosted by the witty humor of Ellen DeGeneres, the awe-inspiring visual effects, and the moving storyline, this is a movie the whole family will love.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Was Nemo Worth the Hype?
Review: It seems as though rated "G" movies are often under-advertised and never really make money or are even worth watching. Generally they're made specifically for children and any humor in the movie is lost on those over the age of seven. Pixar, in the past, has defied these common sentiments with movies like Toy Story 1, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, and Monster's Inc. Pixar continues to defy standard Hollywood practices with the release of Finding Nemo.

This movie is, by at least a little bit, the best rated G movie I've ever seen. Monster's Inc comes in a little behind in second place. The animation in this movie is incredible, the water, the fish, the particles of dirt floating in the water...there were many points when I would watch the movie and could definitely not be sure whether I was looking at a real or animated sea-scape.

The story...the story wasn't anything particularly groundbreaking other than the setting...father loses his son, will do anything to find him. In this case, anything includes taking on sharks, jellyfish, pelicans and other random sea monsters. The father, Marlin, is a clownfish that defies his name by being particularly unfunny...luckily he picks up a sidekick early on with a short term memory problem - a little memento-esque.

Nemo, the son, is captured by divers and put in an aquarium in Australia, where he meets several psychotic fish including "Gills," another fish from the open sea - whose voice belongs to William Dafoe (in a non-bad guy role!).

Of course, being a comedy, the movie does have a happy ending, but the ending isn't nearly as much fun as the trip taken to get there. The movie is great, I went along with indie rock dave and Mike, and they both laughed as much as I did. If a kid's movie can make three college students laugh as hard as we did...it is definitely worthwhile seeing. The movie is genuinely funny and worth watching with the entire family. The movie is safe for small children, though there are a couple of potentially scary scenes that might frighten *really* young children.

I have very little to say against the movie, except that the first ten minutes or so drag on a little and the drama seemed a little out of place in the film. Other than that, the plot, animation, characters, voices and jokes make this movie hilarious and fun to watch.


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