Les rebelles de la forêt

OK, this year alone probably saw a record number of talking animal animations, with countless of punchlines filled with pop culture references, and big name stars attached to the projects, that it's about time we give the genre a good break, rather than churning them out continuously with more misses than hits.

And Open Season, probably the last one on offer this year from a Hollywood studio, suffers from this glut, unfortunately. Heck, with so much similarities between the movies, you can even spot a familiarity or two from the story lines, taking a a leaf from one of the earlier flop - The Wild, in having one of its stars here, part of a popular animal attraction, and another part from Over The Hedge, where a group of animals must band together for survival and a fight against adversity.

The leads for Open Season are a domesticated grizzly bear who has its own teddy bear soft toy (don't ask), and a mule-deer with one half of its horn sawn off. An unlikely pairing, a "loser and a loserer", voiced by Martin Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher respectively. It's strange that there's a reversal of voice roles here, as Lawrence's Boog the Bear is uptight, while Kutcher's Elliot the deer is built in the same old wise cracking mould as Eddie Murphy's Mushu in Mulan, or Donkey in Shrek. In other words, Boog frequently gets punk'd by Elliot.

It's one of those recycled plots about loneliness, and having two misfits finding themselves in each other, relying on strengths from the other party in order to survive in new environments. A misadventure sees Boog go back to the wild, with Elliot in tow, and the two have to find a way to get back to civilization where Boog belongs. Along the way they encounter other critters in the woods of course, paving the way for some comedy and more recycled themes of bullies and the likes. Don't believe the trailers though, as the war between animals and humans, doesn't take up much screen time.

The sad part though, is that there aren't many funny moments to distract you from the rehashed story lines and subplots, but then again, it's a made for children movie. As always, there are some of the weaker characters which get used as punching bags, and here, this role belonged to the mindless rabbits, which some might find irritatingly adorable. My vote however goes to the nasty Irish-accented squirrels, defenders of their pine trees with their nuts, and in second place, those insane beavers.

At least the animals don't break out singing songs every now and then, though there are some nice musical numbers that went along with the movie. But all in all, this movie isn't as entertaining as, say, Over The Hedge, and neither is it as bad as The Wild. But don't say I didn't warn you if you find this a tad too boring.

Wait for the DVD, and rent it. Oei!

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.

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.

The kids loved it, and I was not bored, and that is more than what you usually end up with these days. The 3D IMAX is truly amazing, if you are already paying the theater admission then IMAX is definitely the way to go. The story is not original, to say the least, but they know it and keep it short. I liked the voice talent, although this "the wiener dog has a German accent" thing gets old fast. A lot of people seem to hate this one with a vengeance (look at the distribution of the votes with all those people giving 1), but it still gets a 5.5 average, so that gives you a pretty good idea. This is no Incredibles by any means, but the two little girls I took enjoyed it a heck of a lot more than Cars. Mostly harmless family fun with a few bathroom jokes thrown in: enjoy!

What's a 'unihorn' you may ask? Well, it's a deer that only has one antler, of course. And you'll only see one in the new Sony Pictures Animation film, Open Season, starring Martin Lawrence, Debra Messing, Ashton Kutcher, Gary Sinise, Jon Favreau, and many more.

Martin voices the lovable Boog in the film; he's the main attraction of a show at the zoo with his best friend, Beth (Debra Messing). Boog also lives with Beth, equipped with his stuffed animal, Dunkleman. On a completely side note, what would a Sony film be without a reference to one of their own. Before Boog settles in for his comfy night sleep, he checks out Pat Sajak on Wheel of Fortune.

They have a great life together doing shows for the fans, even exchanging powerful roars. But that's before Elliot (Ashton Kutcher) shows up, the hapless one-antlered deer who's been captured by the evil Shaw (Gary Sinise). Boog helps Elliot escape and makes Boog's and Beth's life miserable, forcing Beth to send the two animals away into the forest.

On his own for the first time, Boog now has to rely on himself, or be stuck with Elliot. And that means figuring out how to go to the bathroom in the wild. That's when he first runs into McSquizzy, the squirrel (voiced by Billy Connolly) – McSquizzy is the ruler of the forest trees, and has a great and powerful squirrel Army to back him up, equipped with thousand of acorns. Without a doubt, McSquizzy is one of the highlights of Open Season! He's got wit, humor, and a ton of Scottish charm.

Boog realizes having Elliot around is the only way he'll get back to Beth. So they become 'partners,' much to the dismay of Boog – but the delight of Elliot, who just needs a friend. With hunting season right around the corner, the two must work together to sneak around the hunters.

But when Shaw breaks the hunting season date, the animals switch their thinking – instead of running away, they're going to fight back! And fight back they do! Trying to run away, Boog crosses a dam; unfortunately, his 900 pound body crumbles the wood.

That's when Open Season turns into Hill Street Blues! There is one of the most amazing chase scenes I've ever seen in the movies. Boog, Elliot, and their porcupine friend try and escape the gun shots of Shaw – but on water. Bobbing and weaving through the water, under water, above water, around rocks – great scene! There's even a waterfall at the end to top it off! I have somewhat of a test for animated movies I've been giving myself over the past few years – ever since seeing the water scenes in The Incredibles, and noticing how real it looked, I've started to take an eye to the screen. If water doesn't look real, than it doesn't pass the test. Let's just say, Open Season aced my test. This water chase scene goes on for about 5 minutes, maybe a little more; but it's so exciting and amazing to watch! It's not just the water of Open Season, it's the entire field of animation; the animals really come alive on the screen. I'm a huge fan of animation; I think it has to do with the fact that anything done with computer fascinates me. The detailed description of each character, from their eyes, nose, mouth, walk, and hair – and in this movie, fur; it's just so amazing! But back to the story - after meeting back up with the group of beavers, led by Reilly (voiced by Jon Favreau), some of Elliot's former deer mates (Patrick Warburton and Jane Krakowski), and a few other animals, Boog and Elliot team up and go on the attack against the hunters. Bras, plungers, grills, forks, knives, spoons, and basically, anything they can get their hands on – sorry, whatever they can get their paws on – they use to charge the hunters with.

Open Season is directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Tony Stacchi; each has a number of major credits to their name. Both Tony and Jill make their feature directorial debut on this film; however, Jill has worked at Pixar on the character development for Monsters Inc. and Toy Story. Tony worked on a number of films for ILM including Hook and Ghost. Roger Allers co-directed The Lion King, and has just recently completed The Little Match Girl – a short attached to The Little Mermaid.

Open Season is a fun and very enjoyable film for kids and families. It's definitely a film you'll be talking about for a long time. And don't forget, you can also check out the film in IMAX 3D, opening at major theaters across the country.