Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Nice effects though.

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

We don't get a lot of prequels to animated movies. There are tons and tons of animated movies sequels out there and it's most likely that more sequels are coming, but prequels to animated movies are something you very rarely see. Now, we have one to "Monsters, Inc." known as "Monsters University". The film where we get to see Mike and Sully go to college, meet each other and how they ended up in the positions we know in the first movie. And in my opinion, I think it's pretty good. It may not be as good as say the "Toy Story" sequels or the first "Monsters" movie, but it's nowhere near as bad as "Cars 2" which is an automatic plus given to the movie. Why does it work you may ask? Well, let me tell you.Inn the world of Monstropolis, monsters not only have jobs as scarers in power plants, but also have colleges were they can learn about scaring and one of them is the famed Monsters University. A young Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) has been waiting all his life to go to the college in hopes of becoming one of the best scarer ever. While there he even bumps into his roommate a young and nerdy Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi) and even the laid back James P. Sullivan or Suley for short (John Goodman). However, contrary to what you may think, Mike really hates Sulley's laid back attitude as he doesn't study, do his homework and even fails to bring a pencil to his first day of class. However things get messy for the two when they are kicked out of the scare program by the head of the scarer program, Dean Abigail Hardscrabble (Hellen Mirren) after they accidentally destroy a prized trophy of hers while in a fight. After being unsatisfied with the can program, Mike and Sulley then enter the scarer games with a misfit team called Oozma Kampa in hopes to get back into the scare program if they win or face expulsion if they fail. So can they help pull together the misfit team while sorting out their differences? Well, I won't say because I'll let you guys see the film for yourself to help you decide.The film's story may not be as fresh or as funny as the original "Monsters, Inc" was, but as a prequel to a fun film, I think it was pretty good. I liked seeing Mike and Sulley start off as enemies at the beginning and see them mature into the characters we know now in the first film. Not only that, I will also admit that the ending which I'm not going to spoil kind of took me by surprise and was actually quite original for Pixar quality. As for the animation, I can easily say it's once again great. I really looked seeing the characters designs improve after twelve years and seeing the colorful landscapes once again brought to life in grand and glorious detail. Even the characters were quite refreshingly different compared to the originals. I really like seeing both Mike and Sulley kind of flip roles in a way with Mike being more on top of things and Sulley being more laid back compared to the original. Even Randall was pretty funny to see in a different way with him being more geeky and shy compared to his sly and pretty nasty personality in the original. As for the new character, there also a lot of fun. I like the misfit Oozma Kampa team whom I won't talk about to much as I think you should see their personalities themselves and really liked how slightly menacing Dean Hardscrabble who was played fantastically by Hellen Mirren with her performance being top notch like always. As far as flaws, I think it was a little to predictable at times and maybe a little too rushed. The film should have slowed down scenes touch a tad so we could get more invested in some moments of the film. I think that's about it though."Monsters University" may not be as great as the first film, but as a good prequel, I think it works. It has some good story elements, great animation and some funny characters to boast which is about enough to give a good recommendation to. It's an animated prequel that actually surprisingly works, and I can happily say that I have plans for watching it in the near future.

It's a bit strange that Pixar would take Monster's Inc., a film wildly successful because it was so unique and memorable, and create a prequel as safe and predictable as possible. It felt like they wanted to keep working with the Monsters world (which is understandable), but they were so daunted with the task of creating a movie worthy of continuing the franchise that they decided the absolute safest option: A prequel, grounded in overplayed university frat awkwardness clichés and well worn plot lines.But on the bright side of playing it safe, it's strange, fun, and funny with its messed up monster characters just as you would expect. One of the most stand out features is the quality animation with beautiful color as colorful as the characters.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY - 2013Directed by Don ScanlonStarring Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Helen MirrenPlot Overview: ​Ever since he was a kid monster, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) has dreamed of becoming a Scarer. To make his dream a reality, he enrolls at Monsters University. During his first semester, he meets Sulley (John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. Sulley and Mike engage in a fierce rivalry that ultimately gets them both kicked out of MU's elite Scare Program. To make things right, Mike and Sulley -- along with a bunch of misfit monsters -- will have to learn to work together.Considering the greatness of 'Monsters Inc' and the the fine- mediocre track record of Pixar throughout 2011-2012, I had very low expectations for this movie. It should have been so much worse than it was. With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It is pretty entertaining and I guess I would recommend it overall. It was cute filler content that was clearly made for money but I can't say it is objectively bad. The best way to summarise this movie is: It shouldn't but it does. Interpret that Chinese Proverb as you will but as a whole I cay say I recommend this movie.I like the idea of them being at a University and I love the concept of the Scare Games. The plot surrounding these two ideas, however, is pretty paper thin and it doesn't' condone the movie's existence. One thing I wish they didn't do was rush through some of The Scare Games' trials. I would have liked some more expanding of the various trials; particularly the one were they must hide because that looks really fun.I may be in the minority here, but I wish the final 20 minutes was cut. Or at least altered in some way. The last act for this movie isn't funny, emotional, creative - it is just a meaningless buildup that ultimately leads to an emotionless conclusion. Again, I am probably in the minority with this but I wont conform to the general masses' opinion if I do not share it.Both Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprise their roles as Mike and Sully respectively, and both of them do great jobs in their roles. I love the way they toy with the idea that their friendship wasn't always as close as it is and that they had to work through some issues before hand. And I definitely believe their entire friendship is 100% natural and none of it artificial or forced.Helen Mirren is a fantastic addition as Dean Hardscrabble. I personally see her as the villain(not Roar Omega Roar) and by treating her as such, she is a pretty good antagonist. She is cruel yet fair and just. She has genuine growth and it all feels genuine. She is a great example of what an animated villain can be like.​ Other new additions in the form of: Don Carlton(Joel Murray), Terry&Terry(Sean Hayes), Squishy(Peter Sohn) and Art(Charlie Day), were all good. I like how they setup Randall's character and how they depict his slow descent into villainy. The faction he is apart of(Roar Omega Roar) mostly consists of bland, forgettable characters and I don't remember any of their names. Very disappointing, to be honest. They are supposed to be part of the adversaries in this tournament.Technically speaking, this movie is excellent. I love the colour palette and actually just the animation in general. The look and feel of the movies falls perfectly in line with the tone at all points. I adore the character design, with Hardscrabble being my personal favourite monster design in the series. The university is very well made and designed. Members of Oozma Kappa all look unique and interesting and their design reflects their personality really well. The cinematography and editing were both fine.I laughed a few times in the movie; there are some genuinely good and clever jokes. Plus, there is no toilet humour(I think)! This is the evolution we need as a species and I am proud to be a part of the movement that changed cinema humour forever.There is ONE kinda emotional moment but it just feels tacked on and doesn't move me in any way. I like this film more than I dislike it, and I can definitely recommend it. It is some cute filler that will satisfy kids and adults alike. I'll rate this movie 6 'Cute Ma-Kappas' out of 10!

One of the coolest stories in online cinema. Stunning characters, and Creative history. Who is imagined monsters in a university. Amazing soundtrack, I love the sound of metal. I just have to compliment a team involved in this incredible project. I may seem naive in criticism, but the mass is, so what is the problem.