Review:
After reading some terrible reviews about this film, I thought that I would give it the benefit of doubt, mainly because Robert Downey Jr. is one of my favourite actors. One of the main problems with this film is that we don't get the usual quick-witted Downey Jr., and the script was extremely awful. The CGI is top form, even though the plot is totally unrealistic, and the huge sets were put together well, but it was a shame to see all that effort go down the drain. The film is very poorly written and a lot of the scenes seemed pointless, And I know that I might be alone on this one, but I preferred the Eddie Murphy versions, which were basically what they said on the tin. On top of that, Downey's Welsh/Scottish accent was appalling, and his acting was the worse I have seen from him. The villain of the plot, Dr. Blair Mudfly (Michael Sheen), was a blithering idiot and Dolittle's sidekick, Stubbins, became annoying after a while. On the plus side, the animals saved the film, especially the Gorilla and the Squirrel, but they weren't enough to make the movie interesting. At the end of the day, it was a bad day at the office for Downey, even though it made a profit at the box office, and with his name down as executive producer, along with his wife as Producer, I hope that Sherlock Holmes 3 and Pinocchio turn out to be much better. Disappointing!
Round-Up: This movie was directed by Stephen Gaghan, who also brought you Abandon in 2002, Syriana and Gold starring Matthew McConaughey. For such a big movie, he wouldn't have been my first choice because it needed someone with a lot of experience behind the camera. It does make me wonder if these movies are all about the money nowadays, and not about entertaining an audience because they couldn't have been happy with the screening before they released it to the public. I can't totally blame Downey because he was talking to animals that weren't there, but I would have questioned the script after reading it. With all that aside, I'm sure that the young target audience will enjoy it, especially if you're watching it as a family day out, but I personally won't be watching it again in a hurry.
Budget: $175million Worldwide Gross: $244million
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy Cast: Robert Downey Jr. Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Marion Cotillard, Kasia Smutniak, Jason Mantzoukas and Ralph Ineson. 3/10
Round-Up: This movie was directed by Stephen Gaghan, who also brought you Abandon in 2002, Syriana and Gold starring Matthew McConaughey. For such a big movie, he wouldn't have been my first choice because it needed someone with a lot of experience behind the camera. It does make me wonder if these movies are all about the money nowadays, and not about entertaining an audience because they couldn't have been happy with the screening before they released it to the public. I can't totally blame Downey because he was talking to animals that weren't there, but I would have questioned the script after reading it. With all that aside, I'm sure that the young target audience will enjoy it, especially if you're watching it as a family day out, but I personally won't be watching it again in a hurry.
Budget: $175million Worldwide Gross: $244million
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy Cast: Robert Downey Jr. Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Marion Cotillard, Kasia Smutniak, Jason Mantzoukas and Ralph Ineson. 3/10