Big Hero 6 (2014)

Big Hero 6 (2014) is a charming tale about a boy named Hiro and his older brother, Tadashi.  Hiro is a bit of a rebel, partaking in back alley robot fights.  He has a superior intellect, even though he's only 14 years old, which he uses for the good of himself.  And money.  However, his well-to-do brother plucks him from the life of potential crime and introduces him to an institution where the brightest minds are free to create and explore their own genius in any way they see fit.  It's here that Hiro is introduced to Tadashi's prize creation: the robot nurse, Baymax.

I really enjoyed this movie.  It was hard not to be taken in by the wondrous world of San Fransokyo.  Big Hero 6 is absolutely perfect on every level, from characters, story, and yes, the visuals.  Amazing! The story had a lot of heart and a lot of imagination.  From the opening scene, I was already captivated by what Big Hero 6 was bringing to the table, as far as narrative and creativity.  Everything, from the animation, to the characters designs, the dialogue, and the action was utterly sublime.

I was lost in the ingenuity that went into the creation of not only Baymax, but Hero's microbots, the magnificent way those tiny black bots are used later in the film, and the other inventive concepts created by the rest of the students early on in the movie.  It felt so fresh, new, and I was excited to see where they went with the premise.

The highlights of the entire movie were Baymax, the microbots, and the relationship of Hiro to the big cuddly robot.  Baymax was freaking adorable, and I love how, even without facial expressions, you were able to connect with him, as someone watching the film.  He made me laugh, and in the end I teared up a bit.

As I said, the microbots were just fantastic.  I won't spoil anything, but for those that watched the movie, you know what I'm talking about.  As for the relationship between Hiro and Baymax, I have to say I always love the story of a boy and his faithful companion.  Makes me think of Doctor Who, and I get all giddy!  Well, sort of?  I just wanted to make a Whovian reference.  Because?  Reasons.

However, the only thing that left me wanting a bit more was the ending, which I feel could have been a bit stronger.  By that I mean that I was hoping for something with a bit more impact, power/ability wise, and the ultimate resolve for the villain.  Power wise, I never felt like the heroes reached any pinnacle of their powers, especially with all the imaginative technology they showed in the beginning.  It felt like it didn't have the same, overall intrigue that was introduced from the start.  Or perhaps I was hoping for something with a bit more of a twist, with their powers evolving into something a little more substantial.  That's just a personal gripe.

As for the resolution of the villain, it just didn't live up to the rest of the creativity that the movie started with.  It was interesting, but devolved into a standard bad guy with issues, instead of a more complex renegade.  I guess I was just hoping for something out of left field?  Something a bit more captivating and ingenious.  Something that I wasn't really expecting.  And I did expect it.  Then again, this is a movie for children, and even so, it blew almost all of my expectations!  

Big Hero 6 is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.  It has tons of imagination, a lot of heart, and will definitely stay with you once the credits role.  This is a movie that I'll be watching again and again, for years to come.  


 
BIG HERO 6 was released on October 23rd, 2014, and is now available on Bluray and DVD in North America.  BUY FROM AMAZON