61. Soul; movie review

 

SOUL

Cert PG

97 mins

BBFC advice: Contains mild bad language, fantasy threat

Pete Docter and Kemp Powers' unusual Soul is the second of Disney Pixar's movies from the Covid period to be re-released.

My opinion has stayed the same since I saw it when it went straight to streaming services, so here is the review from Christmas 2020.

Christmas Day and a brand new animation from Disney Pixar. How exciting!

Sadly, not. Thirty minutes into Pete Docter and Kemp Powers' movie, three of our four festive family members were asleep.

Thankfully, because the film is on Disney Plus, rather than in the cinema, we could spin back the minutes we had missed.

Unfortunately, that didn't inspire us to enjoy it more or understand how children would have been attracted to its story.

Soul's focus is a part-time schoolteacher (voiced by Jamie Foxx) whose life ambition is to be a successful jazz musician.

He is about to give up when he is offered the chance to play in the band of one of his heroines (Angela Bassett).

However, on the afternoon before the performance, he falls down a manhole, and the next thing we know, his spirit is ascending the steps to heaven.

Understandably, Joe's soul is distressed about this turn of events and tries to persuade the celestial authorities that he isn't ready to meet his maker.

They seem unwilling to listen, but he persists and becomes engaged with a cynical young soul (Tina Fey).

Their interaction results in a mix-up that sparks most of the movie's attempts at humour (it only prompted one titter from me and none from Mrs W, Miss W, or Miss W's fiance).

Indeed, we were surprised at the lack of merriment we felt watching a movie seen as such as Disney/Pixar flagship that it should be launched on their new TV station on Christmas Day.

But what do we know? After all, critics have lauded Soul and is even being mentioned as an Oscar contender.

I couldn't understand the fuss. It isn't a terrible film, but it doesn't grab. In fact, I would have been happy just to listen to the lush soundtrack.

Reasons to watch: Great jazz score

Reasons to avoid: Not very exciting

Laughs: One titter

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? Tina Fey's character 22 is so named because Pixar had released 22 movies before Soul.

The final word. Kemp Powers: "We were trying to help not just Joe, but the entire audience, understand that it's not about winners or losers and that everyone's life has value. That was really a powerful driving force from the very beginning." NPR

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