Big Hero 6 is Sloppy, Underwritten and Super Fun

Big Hero 6 doesn't care about a lot of things that make good movies.

The plot is sloppy. Major characters make very stupid decisions for no reason other than "because the script said so" (spoilers behind these footnotes)¹, important revelations are withheld until they feel perfunctory² and the entire enterprise feels driven by narrative tropes.

The script needed a lot more attention. Clunky info-dumps pepper the first several minutes, most of the characters are razor-thin stereotypes and many of the film's most entertaining moments are nakedly stolen from better movies.

But damn if it isn't a great ride anyway.

In the first moments of the film, the colorful skyline and landmarks of San Fransokyo - a near-future amalgam of San Francisco and Tokyo - put a smile on my face, and it seldom left during Big Hero 6's almost-brutally efficient 102 minutes. Just when a moment feels bland and forgettable, something else rockets onto the screen to wipe it away.

Hiro and Baymax save Big Hero 6 from its script.

It all starts with Hiro, a preteen prodigy who could easily be an insufferable know-it-all but shows so much life, humor and compassion that he's likeable in his darkest, most pubescent moments. He's an unlikely but compelling quarterback for the titular hero team, which adopts him in a believable way.

Hiro's biggest problem might be that his story, which is as predictable as it is well-executed, shoehorns out anything interesting his teammates could do with some screen time. Each has a memorable nickname; a costume, most of which work; and his or her own powers that make great set-piece moments, but only one, Fred, has any backstory to speak of. (Hang around after the credits for more from him.)³

The film's biggest star, though, is Baymax, a cuddly "health care companion" who emerges as both a consistent comic presence for what could have been a bland action film⁴ and a marketing orgasm waiting to happen. The latter has its own drawbacks⁵ but I'm certain millions of kids will join me in finding a plush version to alternately hug and take for adventures.

Simply-put, this is blockbuster filmmaking, animated or no, at its finest - so energetic, so beautiful and so clever that a generic storyline and half-baked writing can't sink it. Sit back and enjoy.

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1 Really, Tadashi? You're running into a burning building? Callaghan is right to call you a moron. (Side note: Pretending this is equivalent to venturing into a collapsing portal is ridiculous. Firefighters are a thing.)
2 Would have appreciated knowing Callaghan's backstory BEFORE he was revealed behind the mask, thanks
3 And Stan Lee!
4 No, Fred doesn't count.
5 This is a franchise-starter, a Disney movie, a Marvel movie and a robot character. OF COURSE HE'S NOT DEAD.