The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning

the movie had some funny parts, but it got away from the original TVseries. it seemed as if they thought the only way they could make money off this movie was to make it a porno instead of coming up with a keen way to show how "the beginning" really happened. the only actually plot was busting hog of still selling shine and it wasn't all that interesting.

what also annoyed me was how obvious it was that the movie was filmed outside of LA. there were multiple shots where the Californian coastal range mountains were in the background and it was quite obvious it wasn't filmed in the deep south. in conclusion if you want a couple laughs and you are bored then rent this movie, but overall it isn't that great

If anyone truly remembers the Dukes of Hazzard TV show from the late 70's and early 80's, this review will ring true with them. The TV show was about good wholesome entertainment for the entire family, with nary a swear word. This movie was clearly made to cater to teeny boppers and idiotic adults with nothing better to do than watch pointless junk on the television. This has nothing to do with the 'beginnings' of the Dukes. It is set in modern day times, with horrible casting and a misuse of Willie Nelson. In the original show, Boss and Jesse Duke were moonshiners from the '20s. By this standard, they would be moonshiners from the mid-80's. Give me a break. Please don't waste your time! And Warner Brothers, please stop using the Dukes in your craptastic films! Let them rest in peace!

Growing up The Dukes of Hazzard was one of my favorite shows. The cast had charisma, and the show had an authentic, country feel to it. The 2005 movie was part of the "re-imagination" trend in movies that started with The Flintstones and continues today with this atrocity. Instead of re-imagining them in today's times they should have cast the younger Dukes in the 1960's when they would have been legit teenagers, to keep in continuity with the show. They should have done this with the 2005 movie, too. This movie is a cynical, straight-to-DVD-and-TV, bottom-of-the-barrel hack job and it barely held my attention.

The problem with the plot is that it's a low-rent version of the TV show. Aren't there any writers in Hollywood who can write an original Dukes of Hazzard movie? My guess is there are plenty, but the producers have too much contempt for their audience to think they would appreciate a gritty, true-to-the-spirit-of-Hazzard script. Fans of the original series shouldn't avoid it because of profanity, they should avoid it because it is Dukes of Hazzard in name only now.

The most important thing to me is the casting of Daisy, and they failed miserably here. In the series Daisy was a smart woman who happened to wear cut-off shorts. In 2005 she was a sexpot wearing cut-off shorts, nothing more than eye candy, playing the part as a parody. There's little to say about April Scott: she isn't even close to being a young Daisy in this movie. I'm not talking about physical proportions (although I think she's too thin for a southern Belle); I'm talking about charisma and the intangibles you need to play an iconic character. She doesn't have it.

The lameness extends to all aspects of the re-imagining. The characters have become lame caricatures of themselves, and Hazzard County is no longer the dusty, mythical Confederate backdrop it once was. There's no point in "re-imagining" the Dukes of Hazzard if you're going to get politically correct. The original series was uncynically proud to be Dixie, and that was a huge part of it's appeal. If this movie is a finger-in-the-wind to see if a new TV series will work, I hope it fails miserably in ratings and sales.

And Willie, did you really need the paycheck?

It seems a lot of people recall the original series through rose coloured glasses, forgetting that it was the bad acting and corny storylines that made it fun. This was far closer to the series than the Knoxville/Scott disaster and the one real fans will prefer.

This movie is rather entertaining but has some glaring flaws.

To start with if we are to believe that this version of the Dukes tale is "the beginning" then the story should begin at an earlier time instead of the present day.

Additionally, the story isn't particularly compelling and doesn't reveal anything new about the origins of the Dukes of Hazzard but is instead another opportunity for the star of this franchise, the General Lee, to shine one more time which it indeed does. Humor and silliness is abundant and the eye candy is there but one is left with the feeling that this movie wasn't properly executed which perhaps explains why Warner's decided to skip releasing this at the box office.