7 DAYS Fins ain’t what they used to be
WELL, it couldn’t last for ever. From A Bug’s Life to Inside Out by way of Ratatouille and The Incredibles, Pixar has delivered animated hits for everyone.
For 21 years, the studio has tugged our heartstrings, dazzled our eyeballs and kept our brains engaged since Toy Story. Then came the tepid Cars 2 followed by Monsters University – while your reviewer was the only person with anything good to say about last year’s The Good Dinosaur.
This sequel to 2003’s beloved Finding Nemo turns out to be a disappointment too, a toon that may appeal to ankle-biters but feels several steps backwards in terms of storytelling and visuals. It’s sadly the sort of movie that would have felt quite special 15 years ago, but now looks positively stale.
As ever, the film is preceded by a short, concerning the adventures of a young sandpiper struggling to retrieve food from the sea. It’s sweet, charming JASON BOURNE (12A) AFTER sitting out the misfiring Bourne Legacy, Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass return for the fifth instalment in the other action series featuring a spy with the initials JB. And, boy, is it good to have them back.
No disrespect to the last Bourne, Jeremy Renner, but he didn’t have quite the caché to take on such an iconic role.
In a plot that, even charitably, can be described as wafer thin, former amnesiac and CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Damon) finds himself hunted by the agency’s director (Tommy Lee Jones) using a mysterious technology called Ironhand.
What follows is a series of car chases, gunfights and and showcases Pixar’s gifted animators.
Alas, the technical virtuosity proves to be in sharp contrast to the main feature that follows.
Ellen DeGeneres voices forgetful, regal tang fish Dory who, when separated from her parents (Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton), teams up with clownfish Nemo and his dad (Hayden Rolence and Albert Brooks) to cross the ocean for a reunion.
The voice cast also includes Bill Hader, Willem Dafoe and, most memorably, Idris Elba and Dominic West as a pair of sea lions. As anyone who’s seen Finding Nemo will realise, the plot is a reheat with the feelings of déjà vu not helped by jokes concerning Dory’s memory loss that are repeated at least
Natural Bourne thriller: Vincent Cassel, above, and Matt Damon, right, as the eponymous hero explosions as our hero tries does best, namely to keep one step ahead of the delivering two bad guys while uncovering hours of pure, secrets from his past. unadulterated
Nothing to get worked excitement. up about, you may think, Also starring Julia but Greengrass (also the Stiles, Alicia Vikander co-writer) has done what he and Vincent Cassel. 10 times too often. The same goes for a celebrity cameo that’s milked for all it is worth.
The visuals also seem to be a throwback to 2003. While the marine creatures are nicely animated, the ocean they call home has a slightly murky, muddy quality to it.
It’s ironic that a film about a forgetful fish should itself turn out to be so forgettable.