Les rebelles de la forêt

Matin Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher rock as the big bear "Boog" and the comic sidekick deer "Elliot". Unfortunately, the story was bland and the jokes were only mildly funny, so it will not be one of the best kids movies you're going to see this year. The "Laugh out loud" index was maybe a 5-10 (laughs per movie). "Over the Hedge" was closer to 20-30 for comparative purposes. "Boog" and "Elliot" were well played. The Scottish squirrels, Beavers and Rabbits were funny, but the rest of the characters didn't make much of an impression. Although somewhat entertaining, it was quickly forgotten after we left the theater (with the exception of the Austin Powers like shadow scene behind the curtain). If you need to take the kids out to a movie, this is funny enough to make it worthwhile, but don't get your expectations up to high.

I can't understand what everyone is fussing about this film for. I saw it on the IMAX 3D and I honestly thought it was hilarious. I caught myself laughing out loud on many occasions. Seriously, this film is not "violent" by any means. To me, I really felt relieved to see some humor and scenes similar to the old Looney Tunes cartoons that used to be considered great, but are now considered evil and horrible.

I took my 4 year old daughter to see this movie as well, and she absolutely loved it. I have no reservations about any of the content in this movie, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with children. Any of the "adult" humor was tastefully done and, honestly how many small kids are gonna pick up it? The animation was well done, the cast was great, and there were some very creative action scenes in this movie. I wish all of these politically correct hypocrites would stop trying to psychoanalyze every damn film that comes out and bash it into the ground! Bottom line: This movie is outstanding, and it is incredibly funny!!!! GO SEE IT!

The story is nice, looking at hunting activity from the perspective of the ones being hunted. It is also being developed well with having additional complications. But the whole thing doesn't seem to hold together. The funny stuff doesn't really get funny. Martin Lawrence and Ashton's Kutcher's effort for crazy voices did just a little to help the movie to be funny. One strange thing I notice is that only Elliot, the one-antler goofed up mule deer that is the animal which stands on his rear feet beside Boog the Grizzly bear. It's quite normal to see bears and smaller critters like rabbits, squirrels and skunks portrayed standing on their rear feet because bear do that in reality. But concerning Elliot, he is the only other big animal who does that, while the other mule deer, including his love interest Giselle, stands on all four legs.

When I saw "Open Season", my first impression was that the film looked a bit substandard compared to the higher quality Pixar movies which preceded it. While this opinion didn't change much during the course of the movie, I was surprised that I ended up really liking it anyway. Why? Because the writing was so good...and it's worth seeing.

"Open Season" is the story of Boog the Grizzly who was raised by a forest ranger. When he is returned to the wild, Boog is totally out of his element and is assisted by a chatty and occasionally annoying mule deer. As the story progresses, they seem to be doing a horrible job of finding civilization and end up nearly being killed because hunting season has just opened. Can the pair and their many new forest friends manage to survive and thrive against the odds?

The story is in many ways reminiscent of "Ice Age" and "Shrek" where you have a big creature who is constantly annoyed by a smaller and very chatty creature who insists on being friends. Don't expect 100% originality in this department. However, why I enjoyed the film so much are all the wonderful supporting characters--all of which were likable, funny and cute. Overall, quite a bit of fun and despite its shortcomings, a terrific story.

I'd have to agree with the critics on this one. When you release so many CGI movies with talking animals, there is a point at which mediocrity becomes common place. Open Season is no exception.

It seems to me that a lot of these movies released this past year revolve around this basic formula. 1) A plot involving talking animals. 2) Hire celebrities to do the voice acting (need at least one comedian). 3) Have a main character and an annoying obnoxious sidekick. 4) Have some simple plot in which the main characters are on a journey and have to reach from point A to point B.

When watching Open Season, I couldn't help but notice the parallels to Shrek. Boog (the bear) = Shrek, and Elliot (the deer) = Donkey. Need voice actors? Easy, let's hire two comedians (Mike Myers & Eddie Murphy vs Martin Lawrence & Ashton Kutcher). Plot? Well, let's just make them stranded somewhere and they have to reach from point A to point B. In this case, from the forest to Boog's old home. Of course, I could make the same case with Finding Nemo (comedians Albert Brooks & Ellen DeGeneres, main character and sidekick, travel from point A to point B plot).

Now don't get me wrong, I love Shrek and Finding Nemo. The problem is that when you have two great movies like these released previously, you can't help but notice how much Open Season recycles from previous movies. Open Season lacks any emotional charm or comedic originality. Another problem I had is that a lot of the jokes are based on clichés and stereotypes (Scottish squirrels? Male deers = high school jocks? Ducks = French resistance? Female skunks = black women?).

If there's any redeeming value in this film, it would be the fact that I watched it in IMAX 3D. It looks amazing. Wearing the 3D glasses, I could see each individual patch of fur on Boog's back and the characters literally came out from the screen.

Is this movie good for the kids? Yes. It had some laughs in it and it does bring about a moral message about the preservation of wildlife. It's a good way to kill and hour and a half. But don't expect to see anything new or original in this film.