Soul (2020) Review

 "You can't crush a soul here.  That's what life on Earth is for."
-22



Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) is an unfulfilled music teacher who dreams of being a jazz musician.  When his soul is accidentally separated from his body, Joe has to find a way back before he misses the gig of his dreams.

I want you to stop reading and go watch Soul if you haven't.  Seriously.  Right now.  It's my favorite movie of the year and you shouldn't know anymore about it than what I've told you.  Go on.  Get out of here.  Spoilers ahead.  


What Works:

The animation of Soul is beautiful and I love that the animators got to create two different worlds.  They both look very different, but both are incredible.  The real world of New York City feels like I could jump through my TV screen and be there and I love the abstractness and dreamlike quality of the Great Before.

Jamie Foxx gives an incredible performance as Joe.  He takes you on an existential journey and I found him incredibly relatable.  Being stuck in a job that doesn't bring him joy, focusing on a passion and finding out it doesn't lead to all of the happiness and fulfillment you expected.  These are some heavy topics and Foxx keeps it grounded and relatable.

This is Pixar's most mature film, for sure.  I'm not sure how much kids will get out of it, to be honest.  This is definitely a movie for adults.  It gets real.  Death and the lack of purpose in life are major themes, which I was not expecting going in.  The movie never gets too heavy, but there are a handful of moments that hit hard and really make you feel.

Finally, while this is a heavy and mature movie, there are still plenty of funny moments.  Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey are both hysterical, especially when Foxx gets trapped in the body of a cat.  It takes a special movie to make me laugh a ton before turning on a dime to get me to cry, and Soul pulls it off.


What Sucks:

I got nothing for you.


Verdict:

Soul is one of Pixar's strongest films, and that is saying something.  The story is enthralling, dark, funny, and brutally emotional.  Foxx and Fey are great and the animation is wonderful.  This movie has absolutely got it going on.

 10/10: Amazing    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Argylle (2024) Review

Image
 "The human skull is shockingly brittle." -Aidan Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a very successful spy novelist.  She draws attention from the espionage community when plot points in her books come true.  When Elly is attacked on a train by a group of spies, she is rescued by another spy, Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who needs her help with his mission and to do that, she needs to write another chapter of her latest book. Spoilers Below.  Go ahead and read on because I don't recommend this movie, but either way, you've been warned. What Works: Argylle has a really fun premise that really works in the first half of the movie.  It's a fish-out-of-water, buddy-cop, spy movie, and it's a blast.  Watching Ellie predict where to go based on what the characters in her books would do is a lot of fun.  It's what the whole movie should have been. The opening sequence follows Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) on another dangerous mission as he pursues the villainous LaGrang
Read more

Top 10 Movies of 2023

Image
2023 is finally over and it's time for me to put my Top 10 list together.  2023 was definitely a weaker year for movies.  There were definitely some great movies, but there were also plenty of disappointing and bad movies as well.  I still managed to put together a great Top 10 with a couple of worthy contenders that just missed the cut.  Let's take a look! #10. They Cloned Tyrone They Cloned Tyrone is a wild and fun sci-fi tale that takes place in the hood.  A drug dealer, a pimp, and a prostitute discover a cloning conspiracy and the results are intelligent and hilarious.  This is a really smart and funny movie with some amazing performances across the board.  This was a movie that kept me guessing the whole way through.  What an absolute blast. #9. Renfield I'm guessing Renfield will be the most controversial entry on my list as I feel like I'm the only person who liked this movie.  I love the old Universal monster movies and the fact that we get a direct sequel, whi
Read more

Madame Web (2024) Review

Image
 "When you take on the responsibility, great power will come." -Santiago Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson), a New York paramedic, hits her head in an accident, which unlocks the ability to see glimpses of the future.  When she sees Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) attempting to murder three teenage girls, Cassie intervenes to save them.  As Cassie learns to understand her power, she also discovers the connection between her, the girls, and Ezekiel. What Works: I think the core idea at the center of this movie is a good one and has the potential to be interesting.  Cassie's superpowers are kinda lame.  It's not like they're going to help in a combat situation.  Ezekiel is basically evil Spider-Man.  He has legitimate powers and is a massive threat.  That's an interesting conflict.  How does someone with lackluster superpowers take on a supervillain.  It's a fun idea that I would like to see tried again with greater success.  What Sucks: This movie was embarrassing to
Read more