Six degrees of superheroes

BIG HERO 6

Directors: Don Hall, Chris Williams

Screenplay: Jordan Roberts, Daniel Gerson, Robert L. Baird

Cast: (voice) Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, T. J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell

Rating: 4/5

With an exponential rise in the number of superhero films hitting the screens over the next few years, why not have another one, this time in animated form? Based on a Marvel comic of the same name, Walt Disney has launched a sort-of independent outing of superheroes who are not linked to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in any way.

Set in San Fransokyo, a mixture of, you guessed it, Tokyo and San Francisco, we meet the young Hiro (Ryan Potter), who is obsessed with his robot and participating in fight clubs to win a considerable amount of cash. His small but ingenious creation is one hell of a skilled fighter, and even from this young age Hiro shows promise for the robotics. His older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) and his team of fellow robot scientists, GoGo (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and Fred (T. J. Miller), all serve as an inspiration for Hiro’s further development in the field of robotics.

But a mysterious fire and subsequent explosion leaves Tadashi dead, plus an important part of Hiro’s work stolen by a masked villain who intends on mass destruction. The identity of the bad guy is not difficult to suss out, but for a film aimed mainly at children to attempt an intricate plot twist demonstrates an admirable addition of originality into what otherwise would have been a straightforward plot. It also puts a very human face onto who is finally revealed to be behind all the destruction, which adds a surprising layer of a smart background story to the overall plot.

In order to defeat this powerful antagonist, Hiro is going to need all the help he can get. And aside from his older brother’s team of science geeks who undergo impressive transformations to superheroes in their own right, all based on the various experiments and gadgets they were each working on initially, a crucial member of the team comes from Baymax, an inflatable healthcare companion, and a project Tadashi was working on before his passing.

Being a robot there is a limitation placed on how closely Baymax can interact and empathise with everyone, and a bulk of the film’s humour comes from the awkward misunderstandings that take place in the early process of Baymax integrating with the rest of the humans.

When the gang gets together the film knows just the right kind of fun to have with these fun, vibrant characters. The diversity in the use of colours further injects some much-needed light-hearted entertainment and the pace with which the narrative moves is a healthy one. The film very rarely slows its pace down, and it hardly finds the need to do so. There is an immediate sense of a well-functioning team, all equipped with clever skillsets, coming together to do their part in saving San Fransokyo.

The only weak link comes in the end. Rather than ending on a poignant, thought-provoking note, it chooses to take the easy way out – admittedly a happier version of the available options, since there has been a significant death in the plot already. But it makes certain aspects of the film seem less consequential. But even that cannot stop Big Hero 6 from being an absolute triumph of an animated feature, a bold, action and humour-packed ride.