Review of Oceanic Recommendation - Finding Nemo

Welcome to a film I personally consider one of the greatest movies ever made. Say goodbye to your Citizen Kane’s, your Godfather’s, your Apocalypse Now’s, here’s a masterpiece in every conceivable way.

This movie is utterly incredible. If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing it, stop reading and go see it now. We’ll wait.

You’re back? OK, let’s go. In terms of voice acting, animation, story, emotion, comedy, dialogue, this movie is unparalleled. It is so original, so stunning and so brilliantly emotional that it deserves the rare space in my mind for what gives me hope for humanity.

This movie was made in 2003, when computers couldn’t make the Hulk look better than a plasticine cartoon, but this movie, even 17 damn years later, still looks like a triple-A release from studios today. The creatures and the colour are realised so beautifully, and there’s such a variety of style, that it looks like an art project worked on by thousands of people. Even today, some animated films (lookin’ at you, Addams Family and Boss Baby) can’t look anywhere as good as this movie despite much higher budgets.

Amazing. And it gets even better.

The voice cast of this movie is perfect. Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres play off each other so damn well in this movie, and their chemistry and character are realised so well that the fishes in front of us dissolve to reveal real souls. Alexander Gould as the titular Nemo provides surprising depth for a child actor, Willem Dafoe revels at the chance to play himself in fish form, and many great Australian actors, including Geoffrey Rush, Eric Bana, Bruce Spence, Rove McManus and Barry Humphries, are absolutely enjoying themselves in their cameos. Even director Andrew Stanton, writer Bob Peterson and fellow Pixar employee Joe Ranft get in on the action as Crush, Mr Ray and Jacques, lending each character such a unique depth.

150, Dude, and still young!

Originality is rare in Hollywood these days, but Finding Nemo is absolutely overflowing with it. What other movies have explored the idea of parental overprotection, or featured a character with short-term memory loss that wasn’t that Memento condition, or had a group of deadly animals attend what is essentially Predator Alcoholics Anonymous? How many films have had as wide a range of original ideas as Finding Nemo does? If you ever make a movie, try to be as original as Finding Nemo, and you will make a film as good as Finding Nemo.

Seriously though, I cannot think of a flaw with this movie. It is an incredible experience which all filmmakers trying to get into animation should look to. It is the best animated film I have ever seen, and probably the best damn film I’ve ever seen. I’m calling it.

What this movie makes me feel inside.

Anyway, what films flew across the ocean like a dolphin, or just farted along like Dan Radcliffe in Swiss Army Man? Leave your answers in the comments.