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

Speak No Evil (2024) Review

Image
 "What is wrong with you?" -Louise Dalton While on vacation in Italy, the Dalton family befriends Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son, Ant (Dan Hough).  Paddy invites the Daltons to visit their farm in the British countryside.  The Daltons agree to go, but the weekend getaway slowly becomes more and more uncomfortable and escaping the farm threatens to turn deadly. What Works: All of the actors give really great performances.  Both McAvoy and Franciosi have great chemistry and, especially in the early parts of the film, they do come across as a really likable and loving couple.  They're both very charming until they're not.  As the film goes on, both of their performances become more unhinged and they absolutely kill it.  I also really like Dan Hough's performance, especially since the character can't speak.  Hough still manages to give a memorable performance. Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy also do a great job, especially dealing
Read more

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Review

Image
 "Welcome to the MCU.  You're joining at a bit of a low point." -Deadpool Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) has retired from being the mercenary Deadpool until he is kidnapped by the Time Variance Authority (TVA).  With the death of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Wade's timeline is deteriorating and Wade is given the opportunity to join the Sacred Timeline.  Wade decides to fight back in order to save his friends and timeline and searches the multiverse for help in the form of another Wolverine.  Unfortunately, the only Wolverine he can get to help him is known as the worst Wolverine in the multiverse. Spoilers below.  In short, this isn't a very good movie in terms of narrative or story.  I wouldn't say it's really about anything.  It's an excuse to have Deadpool and Wolverine in the same movie and done properly.  It's more of an event special and less of a film.  It's fun, but definitely the weakest of the Deadpool trilogy. What Works: The best part of
Read more