Post by mentalguru on Dec 19, 2009 7:22:54 GMT -5
Mike: "Look, its not that I dont care about the kid..."
Oh ho! Want to bet Wazowski?
This is a line which many Mike fans would perhaps use to say that yes, while Mike didn't care for Boo before he ultimately DOES in the end, but here's the curious thing which is never answered: HOW and WHEN did this change in attitude occur? And in the end... did it ever really happen at all?
Mike's 'caring' for Boo seems artifical to me, and if you are okay with it, I'd like to explain why I think that is.
Ultimately, the one person who cares for Boo most is Sulley, for obvious reasons, after he realises she isn't dangerous, perhaps quickly followed by Randall. While Randall's plans are not what you might say, ahem, 'great' with regards Boo, he generally treats her gently and carefully without malice, and doesn't even kill her when given the chance and when he's been ordered to by Waternoose. Randall for the most part treats Boo as the guinea pig all in all- with the meticlious care that alot of scientists would with regards animal subjects. Regardless of what nuts such as those in PETA would have you believe, most scientists do NOT wish to cause harm to their animal subjects delibrately, that is not their intent, but when it comes to medical drugs, animal testing is necessary in the process just as it was necessary for a guniea pig in order to test the relative efficency and safety of the scream extractor. Either way humans are thought of as non-sentient animals by monsters, so in all regards, regarding this viewpoint, to lay blame or hate Randall due to Boo is invalid and in the evidence provided can actually be used against such an argument. As of yet there is no good, reliable (not to mention cost-effective) alternative to medical animal testing, and it would be irresponsible and wrong to condemn the scientists, it would be irresponsible to condemn Randall in this way.
Not to mention it would therefore be inconsistent to assume MIKE has light shining out of every orfice after how HE treats Boo! He wants to:
-Catapult her.
-Release her into the wild.
-Shove her into some random European door where perhaps there would be less than savoury humans waiting for HER come to that (couldn't even be bothered to check the right continent... good grief.)
When Sulley comes out with the garbage CUBE and they BOTH think she's been crushed- Sulley is sobbing. Yes, it's slightly humorous in it's own way since the audience knows the truth (that she isn't), but Mike doesn't seem that upset at all! Just an "Uh oh", because he probably think HE'S going to get his butt handed to him by Randall because of it. He doesn't look UPSET in the slightest!
Mike NEVER demonstrates any caring for Boo.
Then we suddenly get him calling Boo "A sweet little girl" to Waternoose... which given the fact he didn't care that much that Boo might have DIED not that long ago, this seems fake. It was probably a way to 'up Randall's evil' as he told the story.
Perhaps people could say being in the scream extractor seat made him more empathetic to Boo's 'plight' but that's still a bit of stretch when you see how he treated her! Plus during the banishment he blames Sulley for ruining is life:
"...and for what? A stupid kid!"
THIS is Mike, he is mad, but he's ultimately telling the truth about how he feels. That's what happens when your world comes crashing down around you. It's how Randall feels regarding Sulley almost when he's yelling at him and crushing his hand calling him a waste of space. It doesn't mean it's TRUE, but it's true to HOW THEY FEEL.
We get a hug in the end, and the line as mentioned above but... it just doesn't seem real to me. We're never given the definitive moment like with Sulley for Mike to ever care for her and like her.
I'm not saying Mike could NEVER start liking her, and perhaps even in the hug, there was some beginning to start, not to mention over time he'd probably relate his success as a laughter collector to her.
But for the most part, I never get the impression Mike ultimately CARES for Boo at all, not like with Sulley, or even Randall.
I just really don't get it. Like I said- his 'caring' for Boo seems artifical, and at best at the moment connected indirectly through Sulley and his friendship with the guy.
Like I said, I'm not saying this couldn't change- and like I said, the hug might be the BEGINNING of him eventualy starting to care later on, but we're never shown his definitive moment of this in the movie.
Oh ho! Want to bet Wazowski?
This is a line which many Mike fans would perhaps use to say that yes, while Mike didn't care for Boo before he ultimately DOES in the end, but here's the curious thing which is never answered: HOW and WHEN did this change in attitude occur? And in the end... did it ever really happen at all?
Mike's 'caring' for Boo seems artifical to me, and if you are okay with it, I'd like to explain why I think that is.
Ultimately, the one person who cares for Boo most is Sulley, for obvious reasons, after he realises she isn't dangerous, perhaps quickly followed by Randall. While Randall's plans are not what you might say, ahem, 'great' with regards Boo, he generally treats her gently and carefully without malice, and doesn't even kill her when given the chance and when he's been ordered to by Waternoose. Randall for the most part treats Boo as the guinea pig all in all- with the meticlious care that alot of scientists would with regards animal subjects. Regardless of what nuts such as those in PETA would have you believe, most scientists do NOT wish to cause harm to their animal subjects delibrately, that is not their intent, but when it comes to medical drugs, animal testing is necessary in the process just as it was necessary for a guniea pig in order to test the relative efficency and safety of the scream extractor. Either way humans are thought of as non-sentient animals by monsters, so in all regards, regarding this viewpoint, to lay blame or hate Randall due to Boo is invalid and in the evidence provided can actually be used against such an argument. As of yet there is no good, reliable (not to mention cost-effective) alternative to medical animal testing, and it would be irresponsible and wrong to condemn the scientists, it would be irresponsible to condemn Randall in this way.
Not to mention it would therefore be inconsistent to assume MIKE has light shining out of every orfice after how HE treats Boo! He wants to:
-Catapult her.
-Release her into the wild.
-Shove her into some random European door where perhaps there would be less than savoury humans waiting for HER come to that (couldn't even be bothered to check the right continent... good grief.)
When Sulley comes out with the garbage CUBE and they BOTH think she's been crushed- Sulley is sobbing. Yes, it's slightly humorous in it's own way since the audience knows the truth (that she isn't), but Mike doesn't seem that upset at all! Just an "Uh oh", because he probably think HE'S going to get his butt handed to him by Randall because of it. He doesn't look UPSET in the slightest!
Mike NEVER demonstrates any caring for Boo.
Then we suddenly get him calling Boo "A sweet little girl" to Waternoose... which given the fact he didn't care that much that Boo might have DIED not that long ago, this seems fake. It was probably a way to 'up Randall's evil' as he told the story.
Perhaps people could say being in the scream extractor seat made him more empathetic to Boo's 'plight' but that's still a bit of stretch when you see how he treated her! Plus during the banishment he blames Sulley for ruining is life:
"...and for what? A stupid kid!"
THIS is Mike, he is mad, but he's ultimately telling the truth about how he feels. That's what happens when your world comes crashing down around you. It's how Randall feels regarding Sulley almost when he's yelling at him and crushing his hand calling him a waste of space. It doesn't mean it's TRUE, but it's true to HOW THEY FEEL.
We get a hug in the end, and the line as mentioned above but... it just doesn't seem real to me. We're never given the definitive moment like with Sulley for Mike to ever care for her and like her.
I'm not saying Mike could NEVER start liking her, and perhaps even in the hug, there was some beginning to start, not to mention over time he'd probably relate his success as a laughter collector to her.
But for the most part, I never get the impression Mike ultimately CARES for Boo at all, not like with Sulley, or even Randall.
I just really don't get it. Like I said- his 'caring' for Boo seems artifical, and at best at the moment connected indirectly through Sulley and his friendship with the guy.
Like I said, I'm not saying this couldn't change- and like I said, the hug might be the BEGINNING of him eventualy starting to care later on, but we're never shown his definitive moment of this in the movie.