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Alvin and the Chipmunks is directed by Tim Hill, and
stars Jason Lee, Justin Long, Matthey Gray Gubler, Jesse
McCartney, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, Jane Lynch,
Celestina, and Kevin Symons. ***
The basic overall plot of Alvin and the Chipmunks hasn't
changed much since Ross Bagdasarian dreamed up the characters
half a century ago. David Seville is a failing songwriter,
but through a twist of fate, meets three Chipmunks who are
blessed with musical talent. Serving as a father figure
to the wayward rodents, Seville intends to use their talent
to make it big in the music business, and finally be able
to make ends meet. ***
Before I down to the critical portion of this review,
I need to make one thing clear - I have always been a fan
of the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise. A good portion
of my youth was spent watching their cartoons - both the
60s and 80s series, which aired heavily in repeats while
I was a kid. I was doubtful that a film adaptation of this
old story could fare well…. ***
….and my doubts all ended up being accurate. This film
is an abomination, and it desecrates one of the greatest
shows of my youth. It swaps the intelligent, often music-related
humor of the shows for potty jokes, the lowest possible
order of comedy. But perhaps most disappointing is the reinvention
of the main characters. In the classic cartoons, the Chipmunks
were musicians, but they were also real kids with real problems
- characters you loved and could relate to. Here they're
just squeaky rodents who have no entertainment value whatsoever.
This film was panned universally by critics, and rightfully
so. ***
Could someone PLEASE tell me when potty humor became
the new standard for family comedies? The original cartoons
were great because they had entertaining music and humor
audiences could relate to. But it seems like every movie
released “for families” these days focuses on disgusting
jokes often relating to bodily functions. Alvin and the
Chipmunks proves to be no exception. The music is still
here, and still entertaining, but it sure as hell doesn't
save the movie. ***
And then there's the biggest flaw of all - the reinvention
of the Chipmunks. I loved watching the cartoons as a kid
because they, while musicians, were also normal school kids
and it was fun to watch their adventures, both on the schoolyard
and on tours. Here they're just regular rodents that can
talk and sing. No real world problems, no plotlines you
can relate to, no character individuality (at least nowhere
near as much as in the cartoons), the list goes on. ***
Any way you look at it, this movie is just plain bad.
Ross Bagdasarian Sr. must be rolling over in his grave.
Skip the movie. If the 60s and 80s cartoons get season-release
box sets, get those instead. ---
Image And Sound:
This is a recent film to be released, so naturally it
looks pretty good on DVD. There are no big visual or audio
problems to speak of. Additionally, it's a double-sided
disc that includes both widescreen and fullscreen presentations.
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