Plot: What’s it about?
The days of Rocky and Bullwinkle as stars might be over, but that doesn’t mean their adventures are over, no sir. You see, while they were stuck in reruns, their arch enemies were planning against them and thanks to a master plot, all three now reside in the real world. Yes, Fearless Leader (Robert De Niro) along with his master spies, Boris (Jason Alexander) and Natasha (Rene Russo) have jumped into the real world and plan to overtake the place…through bad television. Fearless Leader has been purchasing all the cable stations he can, which will allow him to broadcast the worst television shows ever and in turn, enable him to control the minds of the zombified viewers. After he has control, he will have them to vote for him and he will become president of the United States. But F.B.I. agent Karen Sympathy (Piper Perabo) is working double time to free Rocky and Bullwinkle from rerun land, so they can stop the vile threesome from vegetating the entire population. But even if she can bring them into the real world, can a low brow moose and a flying squirrel that can’t fly save the world?
After all the negative press this movie received, I chose to wait until home video to check it out and I wish I wouldn’t have done that. I’ve always liked the television show and even though I also liked the often hammered live action Dudley Do-Right and George of the Jungle flicks, I skipped this one during the theatrical run. Now that I have seen the movie, I wish I could have seen it on the big screen, as it is downright hilarious from start to finish. The masses seem to complain about how pun-laden and silly this movie is, but hello, have you people ever seen the television series? This is a to the letter screen edition of the series and is loaded with comedy, if a little too self aware at times. This one was no made in a serious vein in the last, as evidenced by all the inside gags present, including a sequence where Robert De Niro cracks on his Travis Bickle character, what a movie! In the end, this is a very close translation of the television series and that is more than enough to entertain fans, if you ask me. A star studded cast, some whiz bang animation from ILM, and a hilarious rapid fire assault of bad humor all contribute to this film’s success. I give this movie a very high recommendation and while a rental is a good choice, fans will want to purchase this disc, to catch all the stuff they missed the first time.
When I saw the theatrical trailer for this movie, I was blown away when Robert De Niro was shown within in. I mean, De Niro would make for a terrific Fearless Leader and all, but man, what a coup to sign him up, right? De Niro works magic here and seems to have a lot of fun, even popping a couple jokes on his cinematic history at times. This is not De Niro’s usual role by any means, but he is still great and really has a handle on this brand of comedy. We’ve seen a few comedic efforts from him now, so let’s hope he continues to play funny roles now and again. De Niro also appears in such films as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Casino, A Bronx Tale, Cop Land, Meet The Parents, and Jackie Brown. The cast also includes Rene Russo (Tin Cup, The Thomas Crown Affair), Jason Alexander (Tv’s Seinfeld), Randy Quaid (Christmas Vacation, Independence Day), Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly), Carl Reiner (The Jerk), John Goodman (The Flintstones, The Big Lebowski), Kenan & Kel (Good Burger), and Jeneane Garafalo (Mystery Men, Romi & Michele’s High School Reunion).
Video: How does it look?
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a very solid visual transfer, but some problems do surface and that means I have to lower the score. I saw a lot of grain in some scenes and in others, some compression flaws were evident, both of which pull the score down, but don’t detract from the movie that much. The colors stream across the screen here, very bold and rich, but the hues never smear or bleed in the least. The cartoon characters look very smooth and fluid here, while the live action folk also look solid, very natural flesh tones here. I found no complaints to lodge against the contrast either, detail seems high and the black levels are replicated well all through this one. A couple small problems are present, but nothing that extreme and this turns out to be a wonderful transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc contains dual 5.1 tracks in Dolby Digital and DTS forms, so all sides should be pleased here. You might not expect much in terms of audio prowess from a modernized cartoon show flick, but watch out, as these tracks pack a powerful punch. The surrounds are used often by the film’s hilarious sound effects, but also by the musical soundtrack, which is amusing in its own right. The sound effects have some nice kick to them at times, which allows this mix to be quite immersive and effective. No problems with dialogue either, all the puns and sarcasm stream through with no issues at all. As usual, the DTS version seems a little better in the end, but with either track, you’ll be very pleased with the audio presentation. This disc also includes English subtitles and a French Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, not too bad, eh?
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some cool DVD ROM content, some talent files, a few production notes, and the film’s theatrical trailer. You can also view a very nice twenty-five (or so) minute behind the scenes featurette, which offers interviews and peeks behind various curtains. I liked the special effects sequences more than anything, but this entire featurette is well made and fun to watch, very cool stuff.
