SimplySapphic

--------(Somewhat) Short and sweet----------

You cannot sit here and compare this to John Wick or similar titles, that isn't fair and isn't at all congruent when you take theme, adaption and overall tone of the films in comparison.

I think the best part of this film is that it had a really good ending that I didn't see coming, and that's rare for me, and an anti hero we can root for. It isn't meant to be funny, it isn't meant to be heartwarming- this is a tale about a man struggling to find his place in a world that no longer wants him and one he doesn't feel he quite fits into it.

This movie is quirky, it's a (online) comic book adaption, after all. I enjoyed the way they filmed the action sequences and you really get a feel for Mad's character worth when it comes to the field he's leaving: assassin, and why people are rightly terrified of him.

There's a few places this film falls short: the villains. They're not convincing and have a very cardboard cut out and paper thin reason for vengeance...but it is easy to hate the villain when it comes to one thing most of us despise: greed. This is easily the cheesiest part, but again, they fit the comic book formula- brightly colored, 2 dimensional, and plastic.

Is this an absolutely amazing film, no- but is it a fun romp (if you can endure the sexual scenes), yes. It isn't meant to be anything but a romp, to expect otherwise and you will be let down- but you can't expect to compare this movie to other films that have nothing in comparison other than guns, violence, and a dog. And how many movies have that? A lot. Give the film a chance, it's simply put: a fast paced romp. (I look forward to a sequel, if there is one.)

I saw the trailer for this, which played along with the trailer for Sing, which I think may have hurt the ratings for this partially. Both cliché movie ideas that BOTH turned out to be well done in the end.

I thought I wouldn't watch either, but did, but I do find I like this movie better than Sing- primarily because of Sing being another American Idol, Got Talent, etc reminiscent flick/show and piggybacking on that old hype. Rock Dog has clichés, but it's certainly more heartfelt and uplifting, you can't help but adore Bodi's cheerful attitude and blissful innocence.

(The last couple end songs were pretty good, too, which is also surprising.)

I give this movie a rating of 8 / 10 because I would have preferred perhaps a few different voice actors better suited and the animation models to have more variety within species- say, the crocodiles. Not that I expect it to be as diverse as the heavily funded Zootopia, which had each shown character/background character in the film with its own character sheet and specialized design/sculpt and even gait; I just wish there had been a bit more variation in some of the designs; it makes sense, I suppose, for the sheep to be over simplified to push the purposeful trope.

I digress. . .

It's a simple storyline that we've seen before with simple character models/sculpts, but it's heartfelt, sometimes comedic, with a bout of passion- it's a truly good feel movie that all ages can enjoy, I recommend it for a rainy day that needs a pep talk.