Critics suck.
Generally speakng critics are the worst reviewers of movies that is even possible. While they do have a technical understanding typically of what makes a good movie, what they lack is the ability to properly put themselves into the place of the intended target audience regularly.
This means, that their own personal bias, and often their own personal demand, for what makes a movie 'Quality' is not at all accurate.
If you love art films and find them incredibly enjoyable, then there is nothing about an action sci/fi flick which you are likely to enjoy. It's impossible for a reviewer to objectively fulfill their job if they can't put bias aside and get into the shoes they should be in.
We see this happen over and over if you look at a site like Flixster which offers up user reviews along with Rotten Tomatoes. You get the pros giving a film a 30% positive rating, while people that see the film give it a 70%+ positive rating. That is, if you LIKE that genre, you will likely enjoy the film. 80%+ positive ratings for genres you like almost guarantee you will enjoy it in the theater.
Her List:
1 - Wall-E
2 - Toy Story 3
3 - Ratatouille
4 - Up
5 - Toy Story
6 - Finding Nemo
7 - Monsters Inc.
8 - Toy Story 2
9 - A Bugs Life
10 - The Incredibles
11 - Cars
I would flip a fair bit of this list, because I feel like my kids are supposed to be the target audience, and certain Pixar flicks, while incredibly touching, completely miss their target audience and lose their overall creativity in favor for preaching to us.
My list:
1 - The Incredibles - This is not Pixars most technical work, but the story is gripping and insanely rewatchable. The dynamics of the family are true in a way which other stories come close to, but just don't reach. My kids, starting at two, not only have enjoyed the film (without being scared) but have remembered it and constantly request it after years of viewings.
2 - Finding Nemo - Absolutely great to watch. Creative with humor, visuals, and a story speaking of tolerance, prejudice, and family values. This is the story that Wall-E could have been if it wasn't slapping you in the face with values every step of the way.
3 - Toy Story - This was a creative masterpiece combined with a story to match. Buzz Lightyear & Woody delivered two heroes completely mismatched which kids can glom onto as a pair. Once again, lessons of tolerance not slapping in you in the face.
4 - Monsters Inc. - Pixar seems to get a lot of the 'tolerance' movies in place, but this one hits creativity and fun in a way which only a few surpass. Original characters that are very different... Best friends. Good stuff.
5 - Toy Story 3 - This is how sequels should be done. Much better than Toy Story 2. But, a good story that isn't as original nor as 'fun' as the other movies. If a target audience is kids, then making kids cry isn't really giong to make it a movie that they will even want to remember. Still, a solid way to do it.
6 - Cars - Once again, they just rock originality. This is Pixar showing off, but not just their animation quality... The entire process. Dispargent groups getting together to work things out. Growth and morality combined with a level of excitement that specifically grabs the target audience in a story that is entertaining and enjoyable. Highly rewatchable.
7 - Toy Story 2 - Toy Story, The Adventure Continues! - A very solid sequel to an incredibly original story line. It is the weakest of the Toy Story movies, but maintains fun and originality and the Pixar tolerance for others standard combined with a level of fun which is still a notch above the last four on this list.
This is the big break between what I consider Pixars 7 best, and what I consider their 4 worst. This break is entirely about the target audience and how well it delivers to that audience.
8 - Wall-E - It slaps you in the face. When done with that, it does it again. Just in case you missed it, then maybe a broadknuckle hit in the chest will help you understand it. We are messing up out planet. Wall-E is a great character, but this story runs slower than most of Pixars other films and is the most direct in its blunt story line. Technically, one of their best. Also one of their most recent, so go figure. Enjoyable, and rewatchable, but not as entrapping for the target audience as those listed before.
9 - Ratatouille - Remy is cool, but one of the weakest characters from Pixar as a lead. The story has those same tolerance issues as all those before it, but is far more slap you in the face about it. His family seems far more standoffish than those of other films, and the flip at the end is a fair bit unprovoked based upon prior actions. Fun to watch, but not rewatch again and again. Also, far slower and less excitement than the others.
10 - Up - While enjoyable, this flick is one of the weakest stories for the target audience Pixar has released. Immediately forgettable characters, except Doug, this movie is just not on par with any other new release. It's story is slow, the characters are less humanly believable than the others, and it doesn't grab the attention of kids in the same way that others do. This one was never requested by my kids, and I find myself getting drowsy when I have put it on. Not sure if Pixar could have done more with the story, but it just missed to achieve more than being a good story, which is not acceptable for Pixar.
11 - A Bugs Life - This was early Pixar and it shows. The story is typical. Not as much about acceptance as it is about the underdog turning up roses. Fun, but not as much of the story that captures. My kids probably like this more than Up! or Ratatouille, but this one seems to bore them more as they watch it.
Yeah, probably a bunch that others disagree with entirely, but just my opinion, which holds as much value as Ebert or any other 'professional' reviewer. At the end of the day, it is the target audience which matters. If you doubt this, look at the new Fast & Furious movie and how the target audience reacted to that flick.
