I’m not sure who’s going to conquer the world first – Disney
or Apple. (If they ever merge and begin
calling themselves Skynet then we’re all doomed.) The Mouse House’s latest attempt to be all
things to all viewers is Big Hero 6, an animated film based on a Marvel Comic
that has a Pixar sheen to it that takes place in a city called San Fransokyo. That its heroes all have a Eurasian look to
them speaks to the lengths Disney will go to appeal to diverse demographic
groups. While I have no real problem
with this approach, what bothers me most is the pedestrian story the movie
foists upon us, a collection of action movie tropes thrown together in a
slam-bam conclusion that I’ve sat through far too many times.Â
Young Hiro (voice by Ryan Potter) is a science prodigy who
longs to attend the SF Institute of Technology with his brother Tadashi (Daniel
Henney). However, they don’t let just
anyone in so the young man invents an army of small micro-robots that can be
controlled by brain waves and can be shaped into anything the person who
commands them wants. Not only does this
gain Hiro admittance to the school but peaks the interest of Alistair Krei (Alan Tudyk) a nefarious
industrialist who wants the young man’s invention. It comes as no surprise that a mysterious
fire breaks out at the institute soon after Hiro refuses to come work with him,
which results in the death of Tadashi and the presumed theft of the valuable prototype.
The film finally becomes engaging at this point as Tadashi’s
invention Baymax, which is a kindly medical care unit, takes center stage. In appearance, the robot looks like a cross
between the Michelin Man and the Stay-Puff Marshmallow menace from Ghostbusters, however it’s demeanor is one of benign caring. It asks how you’re feeling, inquires about
your pain level, diagnoses what ails you and offers suggestions and cures to
help you. It also heats up internally in
order to warm you up, which is pretty cool. However, when it becomes apparent
that a nefarious bad guy is going to use Hiro’s weapon for no good, he
reprograms and retrofits Baymax so that he can be used as a superhero. Four of Tadashi’s friends –thrill-seeker Go
Go (Jamie Chung), obsessive-compulsive Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.) scientist
Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and hanger-on Fred – transform themselves in a
similar manner and this team sets out to save the day.
As directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, the third act
falls into an all-too familiar rhythm with our heroes getting knocked down, brushing
themselves off and coming together to save the day, all done in the sort of
manic style that’s become accepted as good filmmaking. So many superhero movies become nothing but a
collection of blurs when the action starts, all of which means little as the
outcome to these stories are stifling predictable.
That a benevolent robot is turned into a weapon is such an
obvious statement about the mindset of most modern governments that it hardly
needs to be mentioned. One need only
look back to Brad Bird’s 1999 classic The Iron Giant for an example of how a
film can be exciting and poignant without having to compromise its theme or
main character.
This article appears in Nov 6-12, 2014.
