| The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle | | Cast : | Rene Russo, Piper Perabo, Robert De Niro | | Director : | Des McAnuff | | Studio : | Universal Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Animated | | Released Date : | June 30, 2000 | | DVD Released Date : | August 24, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 01, 2005 | | Summary | A pleasant surprise | Content
 | I wasn't expecting much from this movie. I mean, I like Rocky and Bullwinkle, but it seemed like stretching out the short cartoon to fill a whole film was a potentionally bad idea. But it turns out they managed to make something worthwhile.
It's not a laugh riot. But then again, neither was the original cartoon. What it has going for it is a lot of corny humor, a ridiculous plot, and, of course, Robert Deniro's dead on impersonation of Fearless Leader. Really, it's kind of scary how well he does it. And the entire movie could've been terrible and it still would've been worth it to watch DeNiro spoof his "Taxi Driver" role.
The movie's humor comes from its dialogue, its strange characters, its patently absurd plot twists, and of course, the trademark breaking of the fourth wall. There's even some intelligence behind this silliness, though most won't get past the puns to notice it.
Look, I liked it. I can't say much more than that. It's amusing and the animation is really quite amazing considering how bland the original was. And it's got a lot of cameos, too. Worth seeing. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 19, 2005 | | Summary | Fan Mail from a Flounder | Content
| Sorry, critics. This movie captures surprisingly well Rocky and Bullwinkle's cartoon characters, especially Bullwinkle's. He's still the dufus we remember from the cartoons. In fact the creators of this movie had the good sense to not update our dynamic duo or in any way make them politically correct, except perhaps Bullwinkle's repeated concern over Frostbite Falls denuded forests.
If you found the cartoons funny this show will strike you the same way, with the narrator providing some of the best lines. True, the last third of the show drags a little as the cartoon-turned-flesh trio of Fearless Leader, Boris and Natasha get their comeuppance from squirrel and moose. Such is the nature of comedy, however: comedic movies that are equally funny from beginning to end are rare birds indeed.
The humans in the movie do pretty well. I wouldn't have thought of Rene Russo as Natasha but she pulls it off. So do Jason Alexander (Boris) and Robert De Niro (Fearless Leader)in their roles. Piper Perabo (Karen Sympathy) is adequate but in her defense she also has the hardest acting job to fulfill.
This movie is vintage Rocky and Bullwinkle and it's a pleasure to see our heroes back in action. As a sign of the times, though, my wife and I laughed more during the movie than our kids did. Sic transit gloria mundi.
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| Rating | | | Date | November 22, 2004 | | Summary | Get moose and squirrel! | Content
| On November 19, 1959, the lowly (and still fairly new at the time) ABC network began airing an afternoon black-and-white cartoon show called "Rocky and His Friends," starring Rocky J. Squirrel, Bullwinkle J. Moose, and a host of other funny characters. Little did ABC know that they had the beginning of what would become America's decades long love affair with moose and squirrel.
In 1961, moose and squirrel changed networks (to NBC), changed time slots (to primetime), changed colors (full colorization), and changed titles (to "The Bullwinkle Show"). Starting on September 24, 1961, "The Bullwinkle Show" ran for 20 straight weeks in primetime without missing a week or a repeat. In 1962 (and continuing until 1964), NBC moved moose and squirrel to their Saturday morning lineup, where the last new episode would air on June 28, 1963.
In 1964, "The Bullwinkle Show" returned to ABC, where reruns would air until 1973. Since then, moose and squirrel have aired on and off in syndication and on cable networks under various titles, including "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show."
Fast forward to the Summer of 2000. Moose and squirrel are finally released from reruns so that they can star in a live-action / computer generated movie.
According to many reviewers, moose and squirrel probably should have stayed in reruns.
"The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" is filled with bad puns, sorry jokes, and a plot line that smells fishy. In other words, it's a really cheesy movie.
Whether or not you like this cheesy movie will probably depend on how big of a fan you are of the original, classic cartoon series.
The movie's thin plot goes something like this: Fearless Leader, Boris Badenov, and Natasha Fatale have left Pottsylvania. By attaching themselves to the movie version of the "Rocky & Bullwinkle Show," (don't ask), the three misfit villains are now live action villains running loose in America.
Their plan? To hypnotize all of America by making them watch really bad television (no, not the FOX channel.... though there probably isn't much difference).
After losing three undercover FBI agents to Fearless Leader, Agent Karen Sympathy (sound the name out: care 'n sympathy... the names only get worse from here folks) is ordered to find a way to get Rocky and Bullwinkle out of reruns so that they can stop the bad guys. Naturally, Boris and Natasha immediately try to stop moose & squirrel, and just as naturally they never even get close. But watching them try is fun.
Jason Alexander (Boris) and Renee Russo (Natasha) do a pretty good job of turning their cartoon counterparts into live action idiots. Not perfect, mind you. But not bad either. For the most part, they are able to convey the cartoonish nature of the characters without ever making you feel like they are trying to do so.
Robert DeNiro, however, did not do as good of a job with his part of Fearless Leader. I found DeNiro's portrayal to be extremely grating on my nerves. Part of the problem is not Mr. DeNiro's fault: the part was written very poorly. But the majority of the blame has to fall on Mr. DeNiro, who portrayed Fearless Leader very two-dimensional (even more two-dimensional the character was drawn back in the cartoon series).
Except for the very beginning and end of the movie, Rocky and Bullwinkle themselves are computer-generated cartoons. This gives them a three-dimensional look while keeping them cartoonish (though I doubt they need any help in that area).
The interaction between the live actors and computer-generated moose and squirrel were, unfortunately, fairly lacking, with most of the blame falling on Piper Perabo (the aforementioned Karen Sympathy). However, it should be noted that this was Piper's first starring movie role, with only two 16-minute shorts and a bit part in another movie to her credit previously. She would redeem herself with critics later the same year in "Coyote Ugly."
If you are a fan of the original cartoon series, this movie is probably not for you. The jokes, puns, and overall plot just do not stand up to the original series in any shape, form, or fashion.
If you have never really paid attention to the original series, or if you are able to ignore how good the original series was, then this movie is not too bad. There is plenty to smile at (there are several cameos, including an always good-for-a-laugh Jonathan Winters). And, believe it or not, there are even a few genuine laughs to be had.
Overall, this movie isn't a bad way to spend a couple of hours one day. Just rent it instead of buying it.
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| Rating | | | Date | November 05, 2004 | | Summary | They got it right the first time | Content
| Robert DeNiro is slighly amusing and the voice of Bullwinkle in this film is by the guy who recently wrote and excellent bio of Jay Ward (and Alex Anderson, the true inventor of Bullwinkle) and his wonderful cartoons. However, the plot involves making people watch bad television. I wonder if they should add bad movies too. There is really no need to bother with this film if you're a fan of the original cartoons. As Spanky Mc Farland (of Little Rascals/Our Gang fame) said upon the release of the 1990s Little rascals remake, "Why bother? We got it right the first time!" |
| Rating | | | Date | October 26, 2004 | | Summary | A disappointment | Content
| Unlike the source material, which was fun, breezy and sharp, this movie is uninteresting, leaden and dull. I cannot fault the performers, who were definitely in character and tried to rise above the material. The one exception is Piper Perabo, who is completely unable to act whatsoever. She can't act, she's not attractive, and she has no comedic timing, so what she's doing in the film is unclear at best.
The script is chock full of exposition. Loads of exposition. I wonder if the studio was so concerned that no one would know who Rocky and Bullwinkle were that they tacked on the beginning newsreel-esque footing to explain. That footage is terrible. And it's on top of the deadening, endless exposition that follows. Come on, it's moose and squirrel! If the viewers don't know who they are at first, they can figure it out in context.
The film continues ever so slowly, with no discernible plot (not always a bad thing in comedies) and with very few genuinely funny moments. The direction hurts, and is suited much more to drama than to comedy. In the special features section of the DVD, it is brought up more than once that it took years to get this project moving, and that the script had been in development for most of that time. It's hard to believe that with 8+ years to work they couldn't do any better than this.
Avoid. |
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