Better than you’d think given the so-so reviews. I think critics wanted to make a point of saying it’s not as good as “Inside Out” and that’s technically true, but it’s closer than they think it is.
What Works: Last year, there were no Pixar movies at all, and the three before that were “Monsters University,” “Cars 2,” and “Brave” which I consider to be the three weakest Pixar films ever made. So 2015 is definitely a return-to-form for them as both entries are the best there’s been since “Toy Story 3” five years ago.
Anyway, this is a simple, beautiful, and simply beautiful story that doesn’t need paragraphs to describe its straightforward pleasures. Most of the movie looks amazing, and even though I enjoyed the first act and last third, the movie’s real sweet spot is the middle. In a thirty minute stretch, we’re treated to surrealistic joy as the main dinosaur and his human sidekick encounter a weird tree-looking dinosaur, have bad-fruit hallucinations, run from scary religious fanatic dinosaurs, and listen to campfire battle stories from Sam Elliot’s macho T-Rex. [The line “I drowned him in a river of his own blood” is as hilarious as it ever could be.]
And any movie that features an animal lead character with a feral human sidekick is up to something interesting.
What Doesn’t: I don’t really know why this movie isn’t connecting better with audiences and critics. Critics seem to be unimpressed with its old-fashioned, straightforward charms, and maybe kids just felt overwhelmed with The Peanuts Movie, Hunger Games 4, and Stars Wars Umpteen to choose from. And it’s a shame it isn’t getting more notice in theaters, because the animation truly looks incredible on a big-screen.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Sure, some of the first third drags a little, and there are a couple scenes designed a little too obviously to make you cry, but Pixar has never shied away from emotional manipulation before–just look at “Inside Out” snuffing out an imaginary friend to turn on the eye-faucets–so I don’t know why it’s become a problem now.
I saw this movie and loved it. Loved your review, also.