So, enough negativity, From this day forward, with every new film I watch on DVD/Blu Ray or the Cinema, I will post on here what I thought of it and give my review. I will try and post every week as I normally go to the cinema once or twice a week. If I don't watch a film in a week, I will post a movie related post. Maybe something to do with my DVD collection or with what I recommend or something. But we will cross that bridge when we cross it :D
Ok so my first review is for a film called Mr Popper's Penguins. Lets get started!
Ok, first up let me say that I was not interested in seeing this film at all! I'm not the biggest fan of Jim Carrey and I really can't stand these predictable animal movies. I mean, you can tell what happens if you watch the trailer. But then the reviews started coming saying that it was actually somewhat decent and that it has heart and all that jazz. So I caved in and watched it a couple of hours ago.
Ok..Where do I start.. Well I was right about the predictability. Everything happened just as I had planned. From the neglect to the animals when the antagonist first meets them, to when the protagonist comes in and tries to take the animals away for what ever reason and to the revelation that the antagonist has something bad or negative happens to him/her. I wasn't expecting this film to break the formula in anyway. But I began to think that since the film made quite a bit of money that adults and children who went to see this film is that maybe, that's what they want to see. They don't want to step out of there comfort zone and see what they know. They just don't want see anything original or see anything that will break out of the convention. Exactly like romantic comedies.
A few more nit picks I have, Jim Carrey is playing..Jim Carrey. He is just playing the same guy that he does in every film that he is in. I really can't stand actors that play the same part in every single film! Like Seth Rogan and Vince Vaughn. They have the plot..and then they have really random Jim Carrey bits in this film. It's like they filmed the main plot and then after production wrapped they shot Jim Carrey doing really unhumorous things just to get some laughs from the children in the audience. And of course, no one likes an unfunny joke. There were also some jokes added in with the penguins. They each have their own personality traits and each have their own set of jokes which coincide with their traits. It seems cute when you first met the penguins but it does get annoying as the movie goes on.
Speaking of the penguins, The CGI in the film is really bad, especially when they have close ups of the penguins. But it's nothing that the kids won't notice.
Also, some of the plot feels a bit weak and rushed. For example, the main villain of the film(If you can call him a villian) isn't really in it. The plot centers entirely on the penguins and how they settle into Tom Popper's apartment. And when we do get to the subplot with the villain, it's not very thought through. The reason why the Zoo want the penguins is really weak and you can tell that it was rushed just so they could finish the film. And that is exactly the same when Tom goes into his sad phase when something negative happens to him like every film does. The sadness and negativity lasts for around 2-3 minutes and then they get back to the happy, positive stuff very quickly. It's like they added the sad part in just so they keep it safe and stick to the conventions.
One last nit pick(It's not a big one) is that the people who are in contact with the character of John Popper never call him by his first name. His kids don't call him dad or daddy or anything like that. They call him Popper. Everyone in the film addresses the character as Popper. I don't know if this a mistake in the script or if it was supposed to be a joke but I found it SOO annoying! Who in their right mind would call their dad by there last name!
Ok..Positive stuff. My main praise for this film is that cast(Besides Jim Carrey) The children who play Jim Carrey's kids are great at playing their parts(Even though the female child can get annoying at times with her constant cliche of being a teenage girl.) Carla Gugino is as great as always since as she is in any role and I was shocked to see Angela Lansbury in this film. When I saw her, my respect for the film raised very highly.
Another positive point is that the film is very charming. Some of the moments with the penguins are absolutely adorable and great to watch(But then they are destroyed by Jim Carrey doing some stupid joke but anyways) Some of the subplots are interesting to watch like Mr Popper's Job. He goes around and buys buildings to demolish them and build new ones. But he then gets made to go seek the deed for a restaurant called Terrace On The Green(Which is owned by Angela Lansbury's character) The connection that he has to the place and the sub plot that goes with it which involves his father is really charming to watch and interesting to see how it all plays out.
So I bet it sounds like I really hated this film. But I didn't. I thought I would going into it but I came out feeling good about myself. The film itself is really charming and you do fall in love with the penguins. But it all gets ruined by Jim Carrey. Yeah...I really don't like him but I would of preferred him to Ben Stiller or Owen Wilson who were supposed to get role originally. And I really can't stand either of those two actors so I'm glad that Jim got the part in the aspect.
You won't get much out of the film but it will sure entertain the kiddies for 90 minutes I can tell you that much. The film is quite charming in some aspects but don't expect anything more.
Watch the trailer down below:
Brilliant! What a critic you've become :P Good writting too, your English teachers would be proud! lol. As for your comments, I haven't seen the film for the same reasons you weren't keen, and I don't intend to but you've made great points. I hate rushed, shoehorned plot points, stereotypical Jim Carry roles, all the extra crap he just does that they surely can't have planned beforehand, etc. And... what is with calling him Popper all the time! :/ Bad film... Great review!! :D Keep it up.
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