Plot: What’s it about?
Ham III is just a circus monkey, a performer at heart, but his grandfather was no less than a hero. Ham’s grandfather was an astronaut, a legend that was a true pioneer and inspiration. When a probe vanishes in deep space, Ham is recruited to be part of the flight to recover it. Along with the inexperienced Ham, the crew includes a no nonsense commander and a beautiful co-pilot, so there is ample colorful characters on board. The ship ends up crashing on a distant planet, where a local tyrant is using the probe to keep the others under control. Now Ham and the others have to not only get back the probe, but undo the damage it caused the planet. But can a simple circus monkey somehow turn into a hero?
You could tell from the previews that Space Chimps wouldn’t be on the same level as the Pixar and Dreamworks animated films, the visuals were simplistic and star power was middle of the road. But Space Chimps still manages to be a fun movie, one that the younger viewers will have a great time with. As I said, this isn’t on par with the big guns of animated features, in story, visuals, and voice talent. The writing here is passable, with some good laughs, but doesn’t have the kind of memorable characters the bigger studios produce. The animation is solid, but again, isn’t on that same level. The visuals are fun to watch, but rather simple when compared to Pixar productions, for example. In any event, Space Chimps is still a decent movie for the entire family, so as a rental, it is a solid choice.
Video: How does it look?
Space Chimps is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This transfer looks great, with a clean visual presence that lets the animation shine. The animation here isn’t complex enough to offer stunning detail, but the overall depth is great and the visuals really stand out. The colors are bright and bold, which really adds to the visual flair, while black levels remain stark and never waver in the slightest. This might not be on the same level as Open Season or Kung Fu Panda in terms of visual presence, but Space Chimps looks terrific, nonetheless.
Audio: How does it sound?
This DTS HD 5.1 option is solid, but never stands out as memorable. The surround use is decent, with good presence, but little in terms of remarkable moments. The powerful and more subtle elements all seem to have minimal impact, so we’re left with a middle of the road presentation. Even so, the audio is fine and suffers from no serious problems, aside from rather thin presence throughout. But dialogue is good and the music sounds fine, so while this could have used more life, this is still a passable audio presentation. This disc also includes Spanish and French language tracks, as well as subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some still photos, television promos, a brief featurette, and a fun trivia track.
