Finding Nemo

All drains lead to the ocean

JediSi [Highly rated reviewer] , 30/08/2007

Pixars track record for creating astounding entertainment is currently unmatched, and just gets better with 'Finding Nemo'. This film is dazzling, heart stopping and uproarious. I don't think many of the adults in the audience were really anticipating it to be as amusing as it was. The characters are instantaneously relatable and, in a nice touch, there are no ‘real’ baddies. Even the shark and the whale become quite engaging.

Ellen Degeneres is fantastic as Dory. Every line that she conveys in the whole film is absolutely perfect. In fact, that can be said about all of the performances, but her character steals the show because she is, simultaneously, the funniest and sweetest fish in the ocean.

This movie is perfect for adults and kids. See it again and again because it, without question deserves every bit of praise it gets.

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Finding Nemo

Bobby Dee from London UK , 21/11/2003

Funny aint the word its the little things in the film like the crabs that are in it (hey hey hey) and the sound the seaguls make? (m8) You will know what I mean. Light hearted great for the kids and adults

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As good as animation gets

Nick from England , 08/10/2004

I'm not a big fan of animation. In fact, up until I saw Finding Nemo, I had never seen an animated film that I love. Now that I have seen it, however, that's all changed. With it's vivacious characters, sublime animation and wonderful voice acting; Finding Nemo is a winner all the way. The story follows a young clown fish who is, believe it or not, called Nemo. A shark killed Nemo's mother and siblings, and this has lead his father to be overprotective of his only son. This over-protectiveness leads to rebellion from Nemo - you know what kids are like - and no sooner has his dad told him not to go near the boat, is he tapping the bottom of it with his fin, getting caught by a diver and then being taken to a fish tank in a Sydney dentist's surgery. Of course, his dad isn't going to take this lying down and so begins an epic journey in which he risks life and fin (sorry) to, you guessed it, find Nemo.

As mentioned, the animation in this film is absolutely wonderful. By far and away the best picture that Pixar have ever created, in terms of looks and finished item. The colour scheme for the movie is extremely vibrant, and is therefore aesthetically pleasing for the duration. The film also does a fantastic job of creating it's own world; the sea is a place that is busy and bursting with life. Throughout the film, our hero's are confronted with many challenges and inventive characters - from the sharks that want to stop eating fish, to the forest of jellyfish, down to the escape artist Gill (voiced to perfection by William Dafoe), Finding Nemo has no shortage of vivacity in it.

The film is as impressive as far as substance goes, as it is on the visual front. The characters in Finding Nemo give the film a lot of it's substance and, aside from the fact that they're mostly talking fish, feel very real and almost have a life of their own. In an animated children's film, you don't expect to see characters the likes of what's on show here, but Finding Nemo delivers on the character front too. Our main hero's are great creations; we have Marlin, the father. He's very neurotic and wouldn't be out of place in a Woody Allen film (aside from the fact that he's a talking fish, obviously). His opposite number is a lovable, if forgetful female blue tang fish called Dory. Dory is a brilliant character, she is funny yet never irritating throughout the movie and it is somewhat because of her that the movie plays out so well. These two have a great chemistry on screen, which is better than a lot of the chemistries in 'serious' films. Nemo himself is your typical child ? thinks he knows it all, but doesn't. And the film wins realism points for this too. There is a great menagerie for the support cast, which includes turtles, whales, sharks and much more; and all of them are brilliant examples of the kind of imagination that has gone into this film.

There are also several life lessons on display in this film, and those are what lifts Finding Nemo from merely an animation film, to a film that can be respected by adults, as much as by children. The life lessons on offer are; listen to your parents, shown clearly by the fact that this whole fiasco is born of a result of Nemo disobeying his dad. There's also themes, on the other hand, of how overprotecting your children can lead to them viewing you with contempt; and the movie strikes a balance, like it does on the whole, between both sides of the parental structure. Aside from the family based messages, the film also has things to say that certain people and countries would do well to note; first of all, interfering with nature is not nice, and stemming from that is the message that if you have the power, it doesn't mean you have the right to use it; clearly portrayed by the diver that takes Nemo from his home. The fact that the film has all these themes, and still manages to be deliriously entertaining is testament to it's brilliance. Many films that profess substance don't have as much as this little caper does.

Overall, animation doesn't get any better than this. Finding Nemo is fun for children, but there is MORE than enough for adults to enjoy, and I would have no qualms with recommending this movie to anyone.

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A great kids film with a slight edge

principessaleah from HERTS , 23/03/2004

Finding Nemo tells the story of Marlin, the overprotective father of Nemo, a little clown fish with an undeveloped fin. When Nemo is captured by divers, to be deposited in a dentist’s fish tank in Sydney, Marlin sets out on an epic rescue mission, accompanied by the ever-forgetful Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres and a host of other fishy friends, including Bruce, a shark who has sworn off eating fish and a 150 year old surf dude turtle.

As you might expect the animation in Pixar’s latest offering is marvellous, with the colourful underwater world of the great barrier reef fully done justice, and brought wonderfully to life. The story is sweet and the characters that Marlin meets on his quest both funny and charming.

However, Finding Nemo is sadly not on a par with the impressive Toy Story or Monsters Inc, which both had an appeal for old and young audiences alike. The characterisations are funny but lack real depth, there’s a little too much sentimentality and the wit is not as clever as it would like to be.

Nevertheless, this is a great kids film and adult audiences will still enjoy the host of film references, the slightly scary seagulls, and fast paced action.

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A customer from HIGH WYCOMBE , 14/04/2004

Cute and fluffy in a typical Disney/Pixar way, but this time it is the parent who is the hero of the tale. Very funny almost all the way through, with some great characters.

Only one thing grated with me. The writers have either exhausted all manner of social subjects or they were very brave in their choiceof subject, as the overall main focus of the story is of a single parent father struggling to bring up his (slightly) disabled son (fish!). It shows how he learns not to be over-protective and to let him find his own way in life. All very wholesome.

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Not Quite...

A customer from Exeter, England , 04/06/2005

To be honest, I had high hopes of this film before I watched it however after finally seeing it I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Granted it is a good film and there is a certain sense of awe at the quality of the animation but I was expecting a film that was going to keep me laughing for 80 minutes. Ultimately though, its a kids film and one that in my humble opinion doesn't have that much crossover appeal for maturer audiences. Worth a watch, but its no Shrek.

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