Toy Story 3 - Is isn't Inception!

I went to the cinema with the intention of watching Inception last night. As has been the case on a couple of occasions recently, the queues at Winnersh Triangle Showcase were out the door and - for the first time I can remember - the film I wanted to see was sold out.

For this I blame a number of factors. Firstly, the world cup. The world cup has generated a backlog of blockbuster films which the distributors had been reluctant to release until the football was finished. A couple of weeks after the final and we now have a choice of all the films people would normally have been watching over the month of June. Secondly, Orange Wednesdays. Despite only ever having an Orange phone I have only recently started making use of the 2-for-1 offer they run on Wednesday. This was because in the past I was convinced that I would rather pay full price and have an enjoyable experience at the cinema than get a discount and have to fight against the texting chatting masses. I think that after last night I'm going to return to my previous opinion and avoid cinemas on Wednesdays altogether (apart from the Bracknell Odeon - which is relentlessly empty).

I commonly don't make use of 'offers' like the Orange Wednesdays (or Tesco Club Card points) because it is self-evident that the organisation providing such offers is making a return on them somewhere, and that consequently I am (or someone like me is) getting screwed at some point down the line. It has been pointed out to me that this might be something of a paranoid fantasy, but last night offers hard empirical evidence. By using the Orange Wednesday offer I joined the throng of humanity trying to get into the cinema on the cheap and ended up seeing a film that I probably otherwise would have waited for on DVD. Since I am definitely going to see Inception in the cinema at some point the net result is that Showcase cinema has squeezed money out of me. Even if I had arrived at the cinema earlier and got into see Inception last night, the theatre would have been packed to the rafters with pick-n-mix-toting teenagers more interested in their latest apps than the film. Net result: I enjoy my cinema trip less and Showcase increase their margins. Either way we all lose.

Call me a grumpy old 30-something paranoid Luddite if you must, but no more Orange Wednesday for me. What they need to do is get the other mobile phone companies to provide similar offers on different days and spread the load out a little bit. O2uesday anyone...

The upside of all this was that I got to see Toy Story 3. Rather than being a rather feeble excuse to generate a bit of extra revenue out of an old franchise by making a 3D version of it (I saw the 2D version and can't think of any bit when I wished it was in 3D), Pixar have done rather well. Like the original, Toy Story 3 follows the adventures of a group of toys trying to do their best for their owner - the now grown-up and soon off to college Andy. The films are renowned for being funny and poignant with fantastic digital imagery - the third instalment certainly delivers on both of those. I am convinced that if Pixar wanted to make a movie that looked 'real life' they would be able to, but they retain the cartoon appearance because it looks cooler. There are a couple of awesome visual sequences, most notable in a tip towards the end of the film, where the technology they use to generate these images has clearly moved up a level since the original 15 years ago.

The Toy Story films were always very funny, and some of the best laughs come in the interaction between a Barbie and a Ken doll. Some great throwback material to the heyday of those toys for anyone who can remember it. I do hope though that the appearance of a Barbie doll as a toy wasn't some kind of expensive product placement - that would sadden me, the last thing the cinema industry needs is Pixar selling out.

It's not all about comedy and effects though. As with all of Pixar's films there's a great story that's intensely sad and uplifting. Although it doesn't touch the emotional rollercoaster of last year's 'Up', Toy Story 3 is about growing up and moving on. The toys, Andy, and Andy's family all have to cope with Andy becoming a man and moving off to university. To be fair to them, Pixar have done a lot more with this second sequel than simply re-hash a lot of old gags. They've created a rather good film.

Also, the short that comes before the main feature - 'Night and Day' - is charming and funny; a nice touch from Pixar there. So Toy Story 3 was a good film, but it wasn't Inception. I've got a very busy few weeks coming up now with house moving and a couple of holidays, but I'll squeeze it in somewhere.