USA, 1999. Directed by David Kellogg. Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher, Michelle Trachtenberg, Dabney Coleman.
Over the years big-screen versions of old TV programmes have left a lot to be desired on the whole. Films of old TV cartoon series are even more ill-advised. As someone who has never seen the original on which this is based I'm unqualified to make a comparison, but I suspect the TV version was much more fun. It certainly can't have been much worse than what's on offer here. I felt this was lazy film-making, just a succession of non-stop action sequences without anything much in the way of a plot or any real characterisation. Even Rupert Everett, an intelligent and highly watchable actor, is here reduced to a series of snarls and grimaces. I appreciate the film is targeted at children - it is Disney-produced after all - but I gather this didn't have a lot of success at the box office, which suggests even the kids weren't impressed. OK, I'm an old fogey, but I spent some of the time watching this and wondering whatever happened to the old Disney magic at producing charming, funny live-action movies - I found myself wishing I was watching Fred MacMurray in The Absent Minded Professor instead.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment