Plot: What’s it about?
Rumble is an interesting case to me if for no other reason that its release date history. Here’s a film that I saw countless ads for pre-pandemic and then the ads seemed to vanish and then the inevitable delays occurred. It ended up getting delayed close to a year and a half, only to wind up as a streaming exclusive. My interest for the film piqued if for no other reason that to say I finally saw it. Ultimately, it’s one that should easily amuse its target audience even if the adults may be mostly indifferent towards it. That’s how I felt overall.
We’ve seen enough movies and underdog stories that we can pretty much guess every big development on display here. We have a world where giant monsters and humans coexist. The monsters compete in a sport, plainly titled: monster wrestling. Sounds entertaining, right? Well, in this feature they like to think so. The town of Stoker hopes to have a new monster champion after the loss of a player and coach. That may just lie in Steve (Voiced by Will Arnett) who is a bit of a diamond in the rough. But we know that before long he will in fact compete. There are many familiar elements here such as the stadium in risk of closing, the son of a late prodigy and the underdog who must redeem himself. Like I mentioned, this is nothing new, but at least it’s entertaining enough and breezy.
Rumble gets enough right with the pretty animation and colorful characters even if the story is overly familiar. I believe there to be enough here that the intended audience should have a good time with. The voice actors, which features Charles Barkley and Terry Crews are committed and the flick knows not to overstay its welcome. With all that taken into consideration, I can only a modest recommendation.
Video: How’s it look?
Who wouldn’t expect less than stellar results here as the colors and visuals are all top notch. In short: This looks fantastic. The crowds and the backdrops all lend themselves nicely to the HD format that viewers should revel in delight by how nice things appear.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD track is equally engaging as the crowds roar and invite us nicely into this atmosphere. The vocals have the crispness I expect and really nothing here takes us out of the film. The music also kicks things up and makes this a lively experience.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- The Super-Secret Playbook — Winnie (Geraldine Viswanathan) narrates this exciting exploration of her dad’s championship-winning plays for Rayburn, Sr. The playbook comes to life as the pages turn and reveal exciting moves with fully animated wrestlers that leap off the pages.
- The Mon-Stars of Wrestling — For a sport to capture the imagination of fans, it needs superstar athletes with larger-than-life personalities. Meet the hulking behemoths inside the six-sided Monster Wrestling ring who keep the world mesmerized.
- Salsa with Rayburn, Jr.— In this unique tutorial, Rayburn invites viewers to learn some of his signature moves step-by-step. Families can learn to Salsa like Rayburn… and get a good workout with the hero of the film!
- Massive Monsters, Wrestling Moves, and Dazzling Dances — Director Hamish Grieve takes center stage in this behind-the-scenes look at creating the monsters, their textures, and their signature arsenal of moves.
- Four Rounds in the Animation Ring
- Deleted Scenes
The Bottom Line
While Rumble is definitely catering to the younger crowd, it still offers just enough entertainment value that adults should feel too put out. Seeing it once was enough for me, but the young ones may want repeated viewings.
