Les aventures de Rocky & Bullwinkle

I saw this one with a couple of my friends. They walked out of the theater totally hating the movie and me for suggesting it. I couldn't have hated it as much as they did, but it was really disappointing. The characters were left as shells of their former selves. The movie seemed to suck out the heart and soul that was put into the TV show to make the movie nothing but a series of pathetically bad jokes. Granted, it was really funny to see a live action Boris, Natasha, and Fearless Leader. Jason Alexander, Rene Russo, and Robert DeNiro were the only reason I didn't pull my hair out in sadness and disappointment at seeing some of my favorite TV characters in a piece-of-junk movie.

Having enjoyed the original cartoon series, I went into this film with a good attitude. I enjoyed "Airplane!" and am hardly one of those film school arty types who can't take a joke. If Rocky & Bullwinkle had been campy, dumb, but fun, I think I would have enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, the only good thing I can say is that I was hoping to hear a lot of bad puns, and I did. But there the similarity ended.

Taking Rocky & Bullwinkle out of its cartoon format into a 3D realm didn't work for me. The plot stuttered and didn't make any sense. Even starting from the attitude that this is a cartoon, so things will be wacky and nonsensical, it still didn't make any sense.

Worst of all were the syrupy and melodramatic interactions with Karen Sympathy, the FBI agent. The emotions and decisions of the characters didn't make sense.

Finally, there's something about comedy that involves timing. I don't know what it is. But the build-ups and physical pranks didn't work for me. Something was really askew in the presentation.

Who should see this film:

-- nobody, even kids, and especially if you've seen the original series, it will just make you sad

I'm forced to give The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle a 3 out of 10.

I really liked it as a kid, but I saw it again after 5 years or so, and it doesn't wow me as much. It isn't a terrible film, but it isn't a great one either. I will confess I haven't seen the show, so I can't judge whether Rocky and Bullwinkle were out of character, though I did read somewhere, that the voice of Bullwinkle was not the same as the one in the show. Well, the show is 35 years old or so. The biggest flaw, and I really hate to say this, is Robert DeNiro, yet another talented actor wasted in a thankless role. Here, he acquires a German accent and all, and it really doesn't suit him at all. There was a attempt to liven it up, but here DeNiro seemed ashamed of himself, and it showed in his delivery, though I did like the "Are You Talking To Me?" bit. Also the plot, it was a nice idea, but the pace was uneven, sometimes it dragged, and other times when it felt rushed. It is pretty much the same with the script, which could have been so much better, had it been more focused, as far too many times it went off target, particularly with the syrupy "romance" between Karen and the prison security guy. I felt also there could have been a little more of Rocky and Bullwinkle, and less of Boris and Natasha, though I liked the enthusiasm that Jason Alexander and Rene Russo put into the roles. There are comments saying that these two were chosen because they looked the part and that's it. I personally don't think that's true, because some of the funniest bits were with these two, especially the part when the computer falls on Boris's head. Piper Perabo was good also as Karen Sympathy(most of the jokes are in the characters' names), though she has been better. I really liked the girl in the eye, that is contradictory of her adult counterpart, which causes Rocky to say "There's something in your eye". There are some very good visual jokes, though lots of them are retreads of other films, and have been done better. I really liked Rocky and Bullwinkle- Bullinkle was funnier, when he says "...forgot the line," and I liked the aeroplane scene. The joy were the cameos by the likes of John Goodman and Whoopi Goldberg. In conclusion, a good film, but could have been much better, with better casting and more inspiration. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I was really surprised at how much I liked this movie. R&B are brought magically to life in the real world, and still have the same magic in their camraderie. People complained that the puns were stupid and that the humor was aimed at adults. Hello? That's exactly what made the original cartoon so great.

R&B's observations on contemporary society are hilarious. The film also pokes fun at politicians, the legal system, and our addiction to TV, with a riotous sendup of "Cops".

The film is quite satisfying whenever R&B are onscreen. When it's just the human actors, things get a little dull. DeNiro, Alexander and Russo all are decent, but these performances would be criticized no matter who was playing them, with the possible exception of Jim Carrey. The best human performer is Piper Pirabo, a total hottie. She has been criticized for a bad performance, but I thought she did a great job.

It's not Oscar material, it won't gross $100 million, and it's not deep social commentary, but it sure is fun. Anybody with a sense of humor would be hard-pressed not to smile and feel good on the inside after seeing this. I just hope they make a sequel. Rocky & Bullwinkle forever!!!!

Underwhelming attempt to capture the fun of the original cartoons. On the other hand, it features some of De Niro's best work ever.