"Up" is a near masterpiece. The first half is absolutely brilliant -- a beautiful compelling work of art. I laughed, I cried, I ogled at the rich visuals. The 3D accents the package, a juicy red cherry on top. It's been a while since a film has so moved me, so quickly.

I don't suppose I'm spoiling any surprises to talk about the house taking to the air which happens someplace around the halfway mark. You might be expecting, as was I, for this to be the point at which the film really takes off (so to speak). Unfortunately, shortly after, the production embarks into a different storyline, that meanders more than it ascends. It's not a bad flight, really, just not as purely beautiful as the launch. You'll still root for the main characters. You'll still laugh when you're supposed to. It's just that the heart of the matter seems to have lost its way. Perhaps that's exactly what the writers meant to do, since it sort of parallels the lesson the old man's about to learn.

Eventually, after one of the film's characters quite awkwardly takes the role of antagonist, the story once again aligns strongly with its theme and thankfully hammers it home. That theme: Each of us has our own respective goals and dreams. But achieving those goals will be an empty victory, if we disregard the dreams of others in order to do it.

By the way, I enjoyed this on a non-Imax digital 3D screen. Very nice. Took my gf and her niece and nephew, 6 and 5, who all also enjoyed "Up."

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --