  
The Adventures of Rocky and BullwinkleMPAA Rating:
 for brief mild languageReviewed by: Scott Ward Better than Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:
Children and Family
Genre:
Comedy, Animation/Live Action
Length:
1 hr. 45 min.
Year of Release:
2000
USA Release:
_____
Ahh… the joys of Saturday morning TV. So often, studios have turned the cartoons we enjoyed so much as kids into live-action, overbloated disappointments. Now, Universal brings us “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle”. I entered the theatre with some trepidation: was this the same R&B I enjoyed between smatterings of “Fractured Fairy Tales” and “Sherman and Mr. Peabody”? Short answer: yes. Aside from a few items, Rocky and Bullwinkle do indeed live on the silver screen. 
Of course, Rocky and Bullwinkle are a flying squirrel and moose who live in Frostbite Falls, MN, a town which has suffered since the cancellation of the R&B television show. Everything has changed, except our heroes… and our villains. Fearless Leader (Robert De Niro, “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull”) leads his two agents of evil, Boris (played with perfection by Jason Alexander, “Seinfeld”, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”) and Natasha (with equal perfection by Rene Russo, “Lethal Weapon 4,” “Ransom”) to the 3-D world in hopes of taking over the world. The FBI sends agent Karen Sympathy (newcomer Piper Perabo) to get R&B. What follows is a plot that goes from the deserts of Arizona, to the deserts of Oklahoma, to Bullwinkle’s alma mater, to… well, you get the idea. Indeed, from an artistic point of view, you do get the idea, just not the entire story… and that’s the way they want it. Just like every other adventure the twosome have had, the movie is episodic, has numerous pointless side trips, and ends up just being a big barrel of fun. There’s not too much to get offended at, either. I did knock off a few points for a completely unnecessary d*mn, and for a scene where Boris and Natasha share a tub, but then, they are evil… Karen Sympathy lies, but the lies are treated as a very bad thing that she did in order to repress her good, fun loving true nature. In conclusion, “R&B” is a silly movie that should please fans and families alike. It’s not intelligent, but then I always suspected Bullwinkle’s degree was honorary.  This is a good family movie. The one curse word was disappointing and unnecessary, but other than that it was O.K. It was just Hollywood once again sneeking anything they can into a movie. The parts of Fearless Leader, Boris, and Natasha are done superbly. I was especially impressed with Rene Russo as Natasha. She walked and talked just like Natasha. However, this movie simply wasn’t funny. One scene with John Goodman was funny, but that was it. I sat in the theater bewildered that I had wasted over 20 bucks to see this movie. Don’t see this in the theater. In two months it will be out on video. Rent it then if your still curious about it. You’ll be happy you only spent $2 instead of $20. [3½/1½]
—Brian Wainwright, age 31 About at the 30th pun (not too far into the movie…), I was convinced this movie won out for lamest of the year. I mean, it’s one thing to fall upon stupid jokes by accident, but it’s quite another to go out of your way to make them. You might like it if you like puns and predicatability. I didn’t stay for the end (it was that boring) but I betcha I know what happened. [4/1½]
—kiRsten, age 15 We went as a family to see the movie, our boys are ages 11 and 13. They enjoyed it thoroughly, laughing out loud and carefully noticing the silly puns and plays on words and repeating them back to us to be sure we didn’t miss the humor. I felt the movie was what I expected it to be, average. Our boys definitely give it a higher rating, they loved it! The very beginning of the movie did have one thing that I found totally unnecessary—it was a scene that was explaining new ideas that have come about since the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show was cancelled in the late 60’s. It depicted the invention of Velcro with a woman dressed in a very shiny silver coat who simply unfastens it quickly (due to Velcro) and reveals her very scantily clad body. I saw absolutely no value in this scene for a “family” OR “kids” movie, it was totally unnecessary! My 11 yr. old didn’t remember it, but my 13 yr. old did and agreed that it was not appropriate. Other than this brief scene, the movie did include a single curse word (damn) and several uses of the Lord’s name in vain. I am particularly offended when God’s name is used outside of the context of total reverance and respect for our Lord. While these few things were bothersome to me, it was certainly appropriate to talk with our children about these issues after the movie. It was a good time to talk about the fun and funny things as well… Overall, I felt the movie was o.k. to take the family to for a light comedic evening. …This film did portray the main characters, Rocky and Bullwinkle, as being very concerned with telling the truth and having integrity. I appreciated these qualities being promoted. Take the family out and enjoy! [3½/3]
—Cindy Davis, age 38 Any movie that features Rocky and Bullwinkle and contains wordplay instead of foreplay can’t be bad. However, I missed Sherman T, Peabody and Fractured Fairytales. I guess that they will be in the sequel. The next thing we know is that “Survivor” and “Who Wants To Be A
Millionaire” will be moving to Really Bad TV. [4/4]
—David This film is funny, but the 1960’s tv series was funnier. The film only has one foul word. I recommend it for kids six and up. [4/4]
—Wesley Corbitt, age 12 Movie Critics
…The movie is so packed with knowingly dreadful puns, wily sight gags, and self-referential cheek that it’s impossible not to be charmed. …succeeds in recapturing the satisfaction and sensibility of its small-screen predecessor…
—Cody Clark, Mr. Showbiz …too hectic to allow any breathing room for characterization… all very harmless and instantly forgettable entertainment…
—Scott Von Doviak, Culture Vulture …no offensive language… cartoon violence… bumbling slapstick…
—Holly McClure, Crosswalk …slapstick style violence… where people are unintentionally and certainly not seriously injured…
—ScreenIt |
E-mail this page to a friend
—Mark L. Gilliam, age 39