Blah, blah, blah - I'm bored and etc. Anybody got a car they want washing?
Blah, blah, blah - I'm bored and etc. Anybody got a car they want washing?
Member since:03.10.2000
Reviews:231
Members who trust:70
There's something about going to the cinema. Maybe it's the group thing, maybe it's the shared collective experience(?). Whatever it's just fun, unless...it's a comedy. Sitting in a room with a bunch of braying donkeys while I sit stoney faced is not something I generally enjoy, and when it's a kid's film (with a wee kiddie audience) it's amplified a 1000 fold. Is this germaine to the subject? Well, only time will tell...
When family dog Buddy is mysteriously kidnapped after chasing a cat, it becomes clear to the dog society that the cats are up to something. Dog central is all too aware of the importance of Buddy, or more importantly his owners. With a potential cure to dog allergies in the balance, the cats will stop at nothing to capture the secret formula and become rulers of the Earth once more. When the newly assigned dog agent is accidentally replaced with wide eyed young puppy Lou, things look bad, and the local dog agents fear the worst. Can Lou stop the cat assault? Can the dogs defeat the evil Mr Tinkles (leader of the cats)?
Ok so it's a kids film and maybe I shouldn't even have gone to see it. Why did I? Well Mrs TheNeil is stickler for making my life a misery so off I was dragged (Why
couldn't we have gone to see Final Fantasy, I ask you). Let's put that to one side though and try to reach a verdict.
The premise is certainly a different one and I'll admit, I was a little curious after seeing the trailers. A cat/dog war? Sounds interesting you've got to admit. Sadly it fails to live up to expectations. The story (dog/cat aside) is very much in the sickly sweet Disney style and ends up being almost nauseatingly sugary. It's cliche'd, predictable and attempts emotional manipulation throughout. Imagine every kid's film you've ever seen and you'll know exactly what Cats and Dogs is like - It's that simple. The characters (both human and animal) are totally by-the-book efforts and within 5 minutes you'll have worked out all of their facets, the story's ending, and maybe even what that sticky stuff under seat is (that you've just stuck your fingers into).
Is it fair to analyse a kid's film from an adult point of view? Several years ago I'd have said no, but now Hollywood is supposedly far more aware of a more diverse audience. Films like Rocky and Bullwinkle and the Toy Story movies have proved that a wide range of tastes and ages can be entertained simultaneously. Cats and Dogs doesn't have this. It aims for kids and no-one else. I'll admit that I'm no writer and maybe it's a lot harder to develop multi-leveled scripts but there seems to be no attempt at it here. Indeed the entire conflict of cat vs dog lacks a sense of scale and depth. I'd been expecting a huge sprawling war epic scale picture but what we seem to get is a backyard skirmish with no feeling of 'globality'.
Vocal animal films are nothing new and this has the same charms/annoyances that films such as The Incredible Journey have always suffered from. The vocal cast are extremely important in such films and sadly they're nothing special here. Tobey Maguire brings a very Michael J. Fox feel to the voice of Lou, Alec Baldwin is satisfactory (but unremarkable) as butch, and Susan Sarandon is underused in her 'role' as Ivy. Maybe the 'human' cast are an improvement? Sadly not. Jeff Goldblum does his failing career no favours, going through the 'kooky' professor role that typifies his performances as of late. Perkins looks pretty but does nothing, and just to add insult to injury, Pollock makes a particularly annoying small child (of the most annoying small child variety).
The effects are variable, sometimes brilliant, sometimes terrible animatronic efforts. They're necessary to make the thing come to life but are less impressive than one would imagine. The story and direction move along at a fair old pace but you'll tire of it very quickly and it doesn't really do much to keep the old attention. Once the initial novelty value has worn off it becomes routine and decidedly dull. Indeed the opening scene is possibly the best in the film. Shot from a lower angle (ie dog/cat height) I thought "Hang on, this might be interesting - It's certainly a new [camera] angle" but the creators bottled out and all too quickly switch back to 'normal' and we lose the ability to view the film from the perspective of the protagonists (whao, that's a new word).
So I didn't like. I'm far too jaded and cynical to have ever liked so my opinion may not be totally valid. But what of the 1001 tiny cinema goers who I was locked in the room with? Actually they didn't seem bothered either (and given that this was a 2pm showing in the summer holidays, we're talking about 5/6 years average age). Kid's films tend to create a buzz amongst kids (doh) and they'll often giggle throughout (Chicken Run is a perfect example), but here they didn't. Yes there was almost riotous reaction to start with, but it petered out all too quickly and the assembled throng were decidedly quiet. Similarly they all filed out all too quietly at the end. A good thing or a bad thing? I'm no kiddie expert (despite having a mental age of 6) but it just didn't seem to be engaging the very audience it was aimed at.
Not really appealing to even it's intended audience, it's difficult to imagine a set of viewers that this will appeal to. It's not funny (the occasional smile), the story is terribly cliche'd, the cast are unmemorable, and the effects are variable. While it could have redeemed itself in the 'awww doggies' stakes, Cats and Dogs ends up portraying our four legged fellows as cringe inducing cliche's and they simply don't appeal. Given the choice, I'd investigate the sticky stuff under the seat .
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1993 - Family - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Michael Caine, The Muppets, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, David Rudman, Steve Whitmire
Family - Director: Sarah Ball - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Neil Morrissey, Noddy Holder, Alison Steadman, Stephen Tompkinson, Chris Evans, Elton John, Bob The Builder
One of these days I will read an opinion of something you reccommend, I'm currently just having too much fun reading your opinions of things you don't like ;) Cheers.
TheUsualSuspect 11.09.2001 14:25
I have the mental age of six (or maybe even less!) but i think i'll leave this one. Cheers!
GraingerN 05.09.2001 16:38
Oh... I'm glad I didn't pay to go to the cinema to see it then. Perhaps I'll just borrow my sister's DVD instead. Thanks, Nichola
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![Cats And Dogs [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78521214.jpg "Cats And Dogs [DVD]")
![Cats And Dogs [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78545313.jpg "Cats And Dogs [DVD] [2001]")
Aug 23rd, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
