Prutnumse

I am a Pixar fan. No doubt. They are second to none, doing what they do. The imagery of Rataouille is simply stunning, the people at Pixar have done it again: They've surpassed themselves. All surfaces so beautifully textured adding a strong sense of realism to the surreal universe that's computer animated movies. And the movements of the characters are so very alive, and it all looks so easy. But anybody with even the smallest interest in animation will tell you, it is not.

The storyline, however, is IMHO definitely one of Pixar's weakest. It's not completely without merit, though. Where most of the characters left me somewhat indifferent, the food critic Anton Ego, for instance, was subject to a most compelling portrayal. Sadly, he was only a minor character. The biggest problem with the story of Ratatouille was, for me, however, not in the characters, but in the mere fact, that I didn't laugh. Now, compared with earlier Pixar movies like Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and my all-time favorite The Incredibles, that all had me laughing loud & heartily from start to finish, this seemed to lack the trade-mark Pixar humor.

I enjoyed this movie. Wonderful performances all over, especially by Baldwin and Macy. Also, I felt intrigued by the character that Baldwin portrayed - a bad guy for whom you feel sorry. You don't see that every day, in your typical run-of-the-mill Hollywood movie. So why didn't it receive more than a six from me? One word: Predictability. All the supposedly interesting little plot-twists, you could see them coming a mile away. Also, the dialogue was at times somewhat cliché ("You don't have any real friends" or "I think I love you. No, wait. I'm *sure* I love you." - lines like these are going to come out goofy, even from the mouths of great actors.

This series had a lot going against it - plot holes the size of meteor craters (why don't the visitors just condition Rev. Turney into giving up the location of the rebel camp?, for instance), some of the cheesiest dialogue heard outside of a Kung Fu movie, special effects that where horrible even in 1984. So how come it captivated me so? It was charming. I felt, when I saw it, that cast & crew alike really had a good time doing this show, and those things rub off. But more important, the series had SCOPE and ORIGINALITY. The creators weren't afraid to take on really heavy topics, and they did it in a way that hasn't been seen before, nor after.