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    Finding Dory

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    I’m ecstatic. I get to watch all of the people who said that “Finding Dory” was just going to be a cash grab eat their words. This is a terrific family film, a picture that appeals to both children and adults. The voice cast is fabulous, the characters are deep, the story is both exciting and moving. The visuals are so good it’s almost overwhelming. We’re looking at one of the best pictures of 2016.

    One year after the events of the first film, Dory’s Swiss cheese of a memory suddenly produces a snapshot of her childhood that she cannot ignore. The film follows Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) and Nemo (voiced by Hayden Rolence) as they travel across the ocean to piece together Dory’s past and find her parents.

    If you ever feel a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole, you don’t believe in fate because you don’t like the idea that you’re not in control of your life, you know something, what that is you can’t explain but you can’t feel it, you’ve felt it your entire life, you feel that there’s something wrong with you, you don’t know what it is but you know it’s there… and you live underwater, I think I know what’s wrong. You may be living in some kind of ocean “Matrix”. After having seen “Finding Dory”, I believe we could pull off a completely convincing simulated reality, at least one set in the ocean. The graphics here are that good. I didn’t think they could get any more spectacular than the photo-realistic display we saw back in 2003, but wow, the artists at Pixar have taken it to a new level. I was profoundly moved by the story, yes, but also by the visuals. The idea that we have come so far, that we can create oceans and aquariums that look this real, this beautiful… I guess it gives me hope, it makes me think that not only is there nothing we can’t do but also that maybe someday there won’t be a need to keep animals in enclosures for recreational or academic purposes. Normally I don’t have any opposition to zoos, but seeing these fish as they are in this film, their beauty is so striking and the characters are so lovable that you can’t help but think of all fish as friends. You want to see them all set free. Down with all aquariums! Replace them all with “Finding Dory” screensavers!

    It’s like the people at Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures read my mind when they were making this film. It’s everything I was hoping it would be. The characters you fell in love with 13 years ago? They’re back and they’ve grown in a believable manner. Unlike a picture like “Taken 2” where there’s an attempt to mix things up but it all feels either contrived or regurgitated because “hey, someone’s got to get ‘Taken’ or else it’s not a sequel! ” this is a true follow-up to the previous story. The characters’ actions make sense based on the relationships they’ve established and now, we’re seeing what would truly come next. It’s like these fish really have been living their lives, the broadcast to what they’ve been doing has just been delayed. You still have the humor and the excitement of the previous film. That’s when the story isn’t breaking your heart with developments powerful enough to bring tears to your eyes. Don’t get me wrong. I laughed long and hard many, many times throughout “Finding Dory” but at one point, you can’t help but feel just as Dory does and be overtaken by emotion. This poor fish, unsure of what happened to her parents, having to deal with the fact that she actually FORGOT them, it’s a lot to bear. You don’t get that from your average film. You should, but you don’t. So much time is spent developing the characters, allowing you to spend time in their shoes and exploring what this world is like, that it looks effortless here.

    I love this film for the technical aspects, for what it manages on an emotional level and for the superb storytelling too. This is an inventive plot filled with clever ideas and outside-of-the-box thinking. “Finding Dory” does even more with its fishy characters than it did back in 2003. It takes you on this grand adventure that makes you say “Wow, now THAT’S exhilarating! ” This is the first time in many years where I sat down in the theater and could feel the work that’s been put into a story. It’s been 13 years since “Finding Nemo”. After this second chapter, it feels like it was just yesterday, none of that magic has been lost. You don’t get that without spending long hours pouring over details and ironing out every single wrinkle. It’s nothing short of sublime.

    I couldn’t believe it when I saw that this film runs a cool 1hr 43 minutes. There’s so much going on and yet it flows so smoothly it feels like it’s over way too soon. As soon as it’s over, I thought to myself “I can’t wait to see this again” and you will too. “Finding Dory” is a sequel that’s as good as the first. I’d say better but that first one is such a treasure that it’s a neck-a-neck finish and honestly, I just want to love both of them equally. Stick around for the end credits too, there’s a sequence there you won’t want to miss. And don’t show up late either. A short animated film included before “Finding Dory” is quite spectacular. It’s only June but mark my words, “Finding Dory” is one of the best films of the year. (Theatrical version on the big screen, June 21, 2016)

    10
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    adamwatchesmovies@  26.6.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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