Staring: Jason Lee, Justin Long (voice), Jesse McCartney (voice)
Rating: 2.75 out of 5
TOTAL GROSS: $153,632,443
The Overview:
Hollywood dips into another cartoon classic and gives it a 21st century upgrade. Yes we're talking a CGI version of Alvin, Simon and Theodore. You know where this is going.....or do you?!?!?
The Review:
If I were able to transform myself back into a 6 year old little boy, and lets face it most of us geeks wish we could, then this movie would have been a hands down 5 out of 5. However, this review is going to be written by a 26 year old man, and there's just some things in the movie that will errrrk you. First of all its really corny, but no surprise there. The story is as believable as Barry Bonds saying "I didn't know." But again no surprise there. Also, don't go in there expecting to see the classic chipmunks throughout the movie, these chipmunks fart in people's faces and talk with a 21st century slang that have you wishing the writers of this movie went on strike before coming up with the script. Well all the bad stuff aside, let's be honest with ourselves, its a kids movie....lighten up. It's overwhelmingly cute and as a whole, the movie could have been a hell of a lot worse i.e "Garfield" and "Inspector Gadget."
The Verdict: Like I said its a kids movie geared towards kids humor, go see it for the holidays with the kids otherwise save it for under the tree for next Christmas.
Viral Video of the Week
Superman Vs. Mr. T
MUST SEE TRAILER OF THE WEEK!! PLANET B-BOY
With compelling characters and vibrant dance sequences, PLANET B-BOY is set in the International world of B-boying -- the urban dance more commonly known as "breakdancing."
Weaving between the vivid backdrops of Osaka, Paris, Seoul and Las Vegas, unforgettable images frame the intimate stories of dancers who struggle for their dreams despite being misunderstood by larger society and even their own families.
An American dancer in Vegas looks for his big break; a Korean son seeks his father's approval; a twelve-year-old boy in France confronts his family's racism -- all the b-boys' lives collide in Germany where their skills are put to the ultimate test: the "Battle of the Year" finals, with crews from 18 nations vying for the title of World Champion.
PLANET B-BOY features electrifying dance performances and astonishing displays of power and grace, showing how a street dance from New York has evolved into an inspiring art form for a new generation around the world.
Like everyone this weekend, I saw this with a big crowd and big expectations. What I saw was an excellent individual performance given by Will Smith which I would almost deem Oscar worthy had I not seen Pursuit of Happyness the year before. This performance however was damn near close. The movie as a whole however is about 3/4's excellence and 1/4 mediocrity.
The movie is based on the classic 1954 novel by Richard Matheson, a novel which has been the base for movies such as 28 Days Later and other zombie genre movies. Other direct adaptations of the book made it to the big screen include 1964's The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price and 1971's The Omega Man starring Charleton Heston.
Having said all that I'm not going any further into the history of the book and the 13 years of development hell that this movie has been in. Let's get down to the nitty gritty. No spoilers here so don't worry. Will Smith plays a military virologist (a doctor that deals with viruses) that has survived a post apocalyptic plague set in 2009. The movie shows how he deals with being the last man on earth 3 years later in 2012.
The Review:
The movie displays a Tom Hanks-like performance by Will Smith. This movie can be accurately described as Cast-Away with the threat of mutant zombie vampires. Having said that if you were expecting a balls to the wall action film then you are going to be disappointed. This movie is deeper than that. It deals with state of mind of a man that has believed he is the only man left on earth for 3 years. Smith does an excellent job playing a brilliant scientist teetering on the edge of sanity trying to find a cure for the virus that has wiped out the entire nation. We see flashbacks of the days before the plague hits the world in which we see him lose his family and how he copes with that everyday. The movie itself can be seen as a study of the will of the human spirit.
All good things aside, the drawbacks of the movie that errrked me were that the vamps/Zombie/mutants are all CGI where CGI wasn't really necessary. There wasn't as much action as I would have liked to see. Don't hold your breath for Will Smith to turn into Wesley Snipes's Blade. Also, like I stated earlier 3/4's of the movie are awesome in which we are treated to a great performance by Will Smith, good pacing, great editing, great suspense and almost a classic movie. Then the last 1/4 of the movie turns into a cliche that we see in most post apocalyptic movie, with a very noble but predictable ending.
The Verdict:
Don't go into this movie expecting Smith's usual sci-fi awesomeness that we saw in Independence Day or iRobot, you will come out thinking you wasted your money. However, I recommend the film soley on Will Smith's acting chops in this movie. He is great to watch and carries the whole movie. Its not a classic, not a cliche, its simply a great movie....that could have been greater. Also, make sure you see it in IMAX to get the full experience....and to see the first 6 mins of Batman: The Dark Knight, next years potential blockbuster.
IM LIVE ON POWER 105.1, WEEKENDS FROM 2-6PM, DONT FORGET TO CHECK ME OUTCHUCK DOGG AKA THE TRIPLE THREAT......SEND ME SOME COMMENTS AND ILL RETURN THE FAVOR, GGGGGEEEAAAHH!!!
