I will give this feature length take on the popular old animated television series this: The makers of the movie do deserve an "A" for effort. You can really sense the director pumping in the energy and the screenwriter rapidly writing one joke after another. Sometimes all this energy does work for the movie's benefit, being that there are some amusing gags and the cast gives it their all. But all the same, the movie doesn't work in the end. The reason why the movie fails is its inadequate script. While I said there were some jokes that worked, there are also a lot of jokes that feel really lazy and unfunny. But bigger problems can be found with the characters and the narrative. ALL the characters in the movie are really thin, and seem to assume that you'll already be familiar with them. People who have not watched the show may be kind of lost. Just as big of a problem is with the story. The story is quite thin, frequently content to just move from one vignette to another with little to no advancement in the story. This is clearly padding, though at the same time there are some really big leaps in the narrative that suggest that some key plot turns got cut out before being released. Maybe kids who are familiar with the old TV show may get more out of it than I did, though I sense even they will get a feeling that the movie doesn't get anywhere near its full potential.
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Wizard-84 April 2020
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daryder-648091 May 2020Underwhelming attempt to capture the fun of the original cartoons. On the other hand, it features some of De Niro's best work ever.
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MartianOctocretr519 July 2006First of all, it should be noted that the film makers here had respect and affection for the source material, and it shows. Rather than just enticing audiences with known characters and titles, then assaulting you with a worthless script (as happens all too often in TV show "adaptations"), this movie pays due homage to the irreverent satire that was the original Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon, by staying close to its theme.
Much of the original schtick is here: the frantic narrator, the inside jokes, the brutal political satire, the cluelessness of "our heroes," and of course, the wonderfully awful puns. The oaf super spies from Potsalvania, Boris and Natasha are here, as is their "Fearless Leader."
On top of that, several celebs drop by for some clever cameos, in a "Muppet Movie" style way. There are some good one-liners, and everybody seems to be having fun doing the movie.
But it just doesn't click. Jokes seem to be presented in an "in your face" manner, slapstick routines are overdone, and end up just looking like pale impressions of the original. The story and script seem contrived just to set up situations for the "comedy." The animation of Rocky, and even more so of Bullwinkle, look awkward, almost eerie. I almost felt like asking Moose and Squirrel: "Wassamatta U?"
Sincere but misguided. Gets lost somewhere between Pottsalvania and Frostbite Falls, and just isn't worth the time to find it again. Rent compilations of the original cartoon series instead. -
flyingyellowrascal30 December 2019Exactly six decades ago, a grey flying tree rodent debut in a TV series. For a while, he was on top of the world. But so far, this was the only time he actually shined. Later in 2000, whoever owns Rocky tried to revive him. Unfortunately, a feature film that bombed and a lackluster television reboot did nothing to help Rocky's star shine again. As sad it is to say, it seems any attempt to resurrect him has been futile. I wonder why?
As to what I can say about this movie, Rocky was sort of making a comeback in the 1990s, and this movie was suppose to boost his return. Instead, it pretty much buried him.
Although I play a Rocky video game once in a while, I can't say that I'm a fan of that flying squirrel. However, I do thought restoring his popularity a bit. As to what suggestion I would give to whoever owns that moose and squirrel, perhaps it's to pick a kid actor to be that buck-toothed flyer. Maybe that'll help. -
Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Bullwinkle the Moose were such a hit in a TV show that lasted 5 seasons. The even have toys, video games, a pinball machine, and even a restaurant. They also have this film which could have catapult them to a new level of stardom, but instead made them pretty much forgotten. I guess this shows audiences were starting to be less interested in tomboys usurping boys' jobs.
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panicmose3 December 2019CORNY, CHEESY, HORRID ACTING! (Although the cast is full of great actors) Obviously this has been out for a long time but I was bored and it was on at the time so.... ugh! I cannot believe I was able to sit through this annoyingly absurd nonsense! Normally I don't leave feedback but I felt compelled to warn others of this utter waste of time. I think I may have laughed once at some obvious joke but the entire thing was cringeworthy!
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blackcircles27 June 2000This is easily the worst film Robert De Niro has ever been involved in. What is he doing here? Rocky, Bullwinkle and the narrator are kind of fun, but unfortunately there is always a flesh and blood human being around and each one of them is absolutely horrible. The absurd dialogue spoken by Jay Ward's characters just does not work when spoken by an actual human being, in which case it just comes off as stupid. Maybe instead of matching up Rocky and Bullwinkle with human beings, they should be pulled out of reruns and be given new animated shorts to appear in. In fact I would welcome a general return of animated shorts to run before feature presentations. I don't know why it doesn't happen anymore.
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polkadotlegwarmers10 June 2004my little sister dragged me off to see this film
i can quiet honestly say it is the biggest load of rubbish i have ever seen and it pains me to admit i actually paid money to see this trash.
save yourself the money and the pain and don't see this film. i fell asleep in the cinema for the first time during this film, the storyline was rubbish, it wasn't remotely funny or interesting.
please please please do yourself a favour and keep as far away from this trash as possible, i doubt even your children will like it. -
I was really surprised at how much I liked this movie. R&B are brought magically to life in the real world, and still have the same magic in their camraderie. People complained that the puns were stupid and that the humor was aimed at adults. Hello? That's exactly what made the original cartoon so great.
R&B's observations on contemporary society are hilarious. The film also pokes fun at politicians, the legal system, and our addiction to TV, with a riotous sendup of "Cops".
The film is quite satisfying whenever R&B are onscreen. When it's just the human actors, things get a little dull. DeNiro, Alexander and Russo all are decent, but these performances would be criticized no matter who was playing them, with the possible exception of Jim Carrey. The best human performer is Piper Pirabo, a total hottie. She has been criticized for a bad performance, but I thought she did a great job.
It's not Oscar material, it won't gross $100 million, and it's not deep social commentary, but it sure is fun. Anybody with a sense of humor would be hard-pressed not to smile and feel good on the inside after seeing this. I just hope they make a sequel. Rocky & Bullwinkle forever!!!! -
I really liked it as a kid, but I saw it again after 5 years or so, and it doesn't wow me as much. It isn't a terrible film, but it isn't a great one either. I will confess I haven't seen the show, so I can't judge whether Rocky and Bullwinkle were out of character, though I did read somewhere, that the voice of Bullwinkle was not the same as the one in the show. Well, the show is 35 years old or so. The biggest flaw, and I really hate to say this, is Robert DeNiro, yet another talented actor wasted in a thankless role. Here, he acquires a German accent and all, and it really doesn't suit him at all. There was a attempt to liven it up, but here DeNiro seemed ashamed of himself, and it showed in his delivery, though I did like the "Are You Talking To Me?" bit. Also the plot, it was a nice idea, but the pace was uneven, sometimes it dragged, and other times when it felt rushed. It is pretty much the same with the script, which could have been so much better, had it been more focused, as far too many times it went off target, particularly with the syrupy "romance" between Karen and the prison security guy. I felt also there could have been a little more of Rocky and Bullwinkle, and less of Boris and Natasha, though I liked the enthusiasm that Jason Alexander and Rene Russo put into the roles. There are comments saying that these two were chosen because they looked the part and that's it. I personally don't think that's true, because some of the funniest bits were with these two, especially the part when the computer falls on Boris's head. Piper Perabo was good also as Karen Sympathy(most of the jokes are in the characters' names), though she has been better. I really liked the girl in the eye, that is contradictory of her adult counterpart, which causes Rocky to say "There's something in your eye". There are some very good visual jokes, though lots of them are retreads of other films, and have been done better. I really liked Rocky and Bullwinkle- Bullinkle was funnier, when he says "...forgot the line," and I liked the aeroplane scene. The joy were the cameos by the likes of John Goodman and Whoopi Goldberg. In conclusion, a good film, but could have been much better, with better casting and more inspiration. 6/10 Bethany Cox
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Jerry_Stuckle24 December 2004Peeee Uewwww, what smells so bad? It's this modern version of Jay Ward's classic TV comedy. Jay must be turning over in his grave, I hope his widow got a lot of money. Single worst piece of casting: Jason Alexander as Boris Baddinoff. This guy is acting poison in any character other than playing himself on Seinfeld. The moose and squirrel are now only props supporting a brain-dead FBI girl. If you are lucky enough to be familiar with the original TV show avoid this disgusting movie. I think I'm going to burn my copy before it stinks up the house. Even the animation is worse. If you like this crap watch 'Listen Up', if you want good new animation watch the Simpsons.
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eebyo21 February 2004I loved this movie to pieces each of the 4 times I saw it in the theater! Apparently not everybody was privileged to be born in 1955 and spend a childhood marinating in the Cold War puns and snarky anti-corporate digs of the original TV show. This movie brought it all back; if you had nothing to be brought back to . . . well, it's your loss. Renee Russo is fabulously snakey as Natasha, and tho' Rocket J. Squirrel couldn't improve on the original, that's because he was voiced by the original, the unsinkable June Foray. The only people who need to apologize for this movie are its promoters, who never figured out how to hook its natural audience of 40-somethings.
I can't wait for the remake of Fractured Fairy Tales. -
ccthemovieman-120 November 2006One thing that was misleading: the cover of the VHS (or DVD) shows Robert De Niro, Rene Russo and Jason Alexander but those three do NOT have major roles or a lot of lines in this picture. Most of the lines are by an unknown name: actress Piper Perabo ("FBI Agent Karen Sympathy)" and the two cartoon characters.
This is another one of these live-action cartoons in which some characters are real-life and others are cartoons and the all interact on screen at once.
This comedy has a lot more subtle than laugh-out-loud lines. It's decent, and does have a certain appeal but is not as good as I expected after reading a couple of reviews prior to its release. I think it has an equal appeal for kids or adults. -
harrietta_moonriver8 February 2005Rocky and Bullwinkle. That a film could be that good...its the stuff myths are formed from. It's as though God were executive producer. When I was forced, back in my innocence, to watch this with my brother, I shook my fist in an angry fist and said "WhyIOughta..." but my complaints were silenced when the majesty of this beautiful motion picture washed over me, and rendered me speechless. The fact that I feel asleep is not a condemnation- oh no! I was simply captivated and put under its simple, facrical, ridiculous, but oh so charming spell. humour! So wonderfully silly! It's acting? Clearly deliberately poor, to reflect the nature of the acting of comic films of that generation! Costumes, scenery, breathtaking! The Academy failed the film going world by not presenting Rocky And Bullwinkle (or, as I have dubbed it, The Most Wonderful and Beautiful and Spiritually Magnificent film, Ever, in the history of the world, Ever" the MWABASMFEITHOTWE for short) the accolades it deserved. This will always be a best picture winner, in my heart.
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Brad_Dharma24 February 2001I rented this movie because Robert De Niro is my favorite actor (he and Al Pacino) I swear, i almost threw up this movie was so horrible. First of all people bug me because I am biased since it is a kid's movie. I disagree, i have taken my nephews to kids movies ten times better than this mind-numbing escapade. I used to love the Rocky and Bullwinkle show (especially Fractured Fairy Tales) but this was insult to the show I remember. I also hated the cornball acting from Piper Perabo (could we expect anything less). I hope large numbers of people at Universal were fired after this movie got released. For other bad movies, I also recommend Dude, Where's My Car, and The 10th Kingdom.
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CharltonBoy23 December 2001Normally i would not go anywhere near a film like this but as i am One of Robert De Niro's biggest fans a had to check this out. The first thing that springs to mind after watching this crap is What was De Niro thinking when he accepted a part in this kids film? This is without a doubt the worst film he has ever been in and it would be extremely difficult to make another film as bad as this. Ok this is a childrens film but is there a child out there who actually likes this? i dont know but i expect the answer is no. This also stars Pipa Pirabo who for me is a highly over rated actress that is more famous for her stupid grin than her acting. So if you are Man,woman , girl or boy i urge you to something more interesting than watch this , maybe sit in your garden and watch your grass grow or stick pins under your finger nails. I promise it wont be as painfull as watching The Adventures or Rocky and Bullwinkle. 1 out of 10.
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blackxmas2 December 2000Why is this movie so bad? Why am I reading that people enjoyed this? It's embarrassing, the acting is awful, the script is even worse. This is a slap in the face to all of those who love Rocky and Bullwinkle. People are defending it, saying that it carries the same type of humor over from the TV show, and I'll have to agree, but it's not funny. It just doesn't work. So sad.
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Another relic from the "let's make a live-action movie from an old cartoon" fad from decades ago. Better than most of the others, but it still doesn't work, even with the decision to keep Rocky and Bullwinkle as toons rather than use, say, people in animal costumes.
A full-fledged cartoon version would have been far better. The human actors don't fit in with their cartoon counterparts. Robert DeNiro certainly didn't fit the part of Fearless Leader (they should have given that role to Nicholas Cage, who had a more suitable physique). We could have done without "Nothing But A Dreamer" by Supertramp either (the cartoon didn't have music, other than the theme and some "dramatic effect" chords at times) This effectively spoiled the old cartoon atmosphere, and the story itself was meandering and ultimately boring and pointless. For the running time, they could have done so much more.
Intended for fans of the old cartoon, but probably won't satisfy most of them. -
forehead13 August 2001First and foremost I see that a number of comments on this film have suggested that it was too 'grown-up' for the younger viewers - on this point I couldn't disagree more. I felt the main reason for my lack of enjoyment of this film was that the many gags in it were unintelligent and obviously aimed at children, unlike films such as Toy Story and A Bug's Life which - while being aimed primarily at children - include moments of irony and satire that make the adults laugh too. I believe my nephews and niece would have enjoyed this film much more than I did.
The basic plot was thin and basic (as expected in a film like this) but the jokes did nothing to let you forget this. At the very least the storyline should have been created around well thought-out moments of humour. It wasn't. Robert De Niro was the best part of it but not even he - or the many cameos - could save what was primarily a bad film. The moose was almost as annoying as that God-awful Jar-Jar Binks from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and irritated me throughout. The whole production smelt of a poor man's Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
I've never seen the original cartoon of Rocky & Bullwinkle and after watching the film have no intention too. Expect to see this screened at around lunchtime on Bank Holidays for years to come. -
sngbrd3917 August 2000I saw this one with a couple of my friends. They walked out of the theater totally hating the movie and me for suggesting it. I couldn't have hated it as much as they did, but it was really disappointing. The characters were left as shells of their former selves. The movie seemed to suck out the heart and soul that was put into the TV show to make the movie nothing but a series of pathetically bad jokes. Granted, it was really funny to see a live action Boris, Natasha, and Fearless Leader. Jason Alexander, Rene Russo, and Robert DeNiro were the only reason I didn't pull my hair out in sadness and disappointment at seeing some of my favorite TV characters in a piece-of-junk movie.
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One of the gags in this film involves a Hollywood script screener rejecting movie scripts because they are "too intelligent" :-) Well, apparently this movie is too intelligent for most voters are IMDb, as they have (incorrectly) given this movie a 4.1 rating out of ten! Obviously, they are not "getting" the Hollywood "inside jokes' and humour, (Zoom! Right over their heads!) and I suspect that this is also is a generation thing; most of you didn't grow-up with Rocky and Bullwinkle. The cartoon, like many from that era, took swipes at Government, Politics, Hollywood, etc. They were made for adults too, not just kids. I suggest you read Roger Ebert's review of this movie and gain a basic understanding and an education from someone who has been the best movie critic for a long time. There is a reason why so many recognized and talented actors signed-on for this movie. It was smart and funny at the same time, and these experienced actors recognized that. You should educate yourself and you will "get it" too!
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Movies that aren't serious can be really fun, this one however is an exception from that statement. I know it's supposed to be silly, to be wacky and hilarious but it just doesn't do it for me. The green/blue screen effects are extremely bad and throughout the movie I never felt that the animated characters were "real". The puns in this movie was over-used as well along with the bad script and I think that's what destroyed it the most for me. Now don't get me wrong: an unserious storyline can still make the watcher believe it by using the right tools. But a script that bad made the storyline completely unbelievable and breaking the fourth wall is something you should not over-use even if you want the comedic effect to become stronger. Why is that? Because breaking the fourth wall is a great way to make the audience get shocked since the actors are breaking a rule there, which catches their attention immediately. If you over-use this, however, the effect gets worn off to the point where it just gets annoying.
In some shots there's some filming-errors as well such as too much headroom, unnecessary space where it's not needed since it doesn't provide any information, lack of contrast balance between the green/blue screen shots and the objects/people and etc. Perhaps something you don't think about too much, but can be extremely annoying if it constantly occurs. This is also the reason why it looks like a really really bad B- movie from the 80's personally. The acting overall was pretty okay, even though there were in some places in the movie where it was noticeable that the actors didn't really did their roles seriously which made it harder to believe the story.
All in all, a bad movie. -
tgillen-47 May 2011If you remember Rocky and Bullwinkle? If you watched, and loved them as a kid don't listen, ah, read, the 4 point whatever out of ten review of this movie. It is perfect! It does what few movies trying to capture a cult series in a single movies does - - - it does it! It is a movie written by smart people for smart people. The verbal puns are as witty, and as groan producing as ever. The visual gags are better. ("Hey, Rocky, haven't we passed through this town before?") (OK, that isn't a direct quote.) There are perfect touches throughout, like Russo's walk, DeNiro riffing on "Taxi Driver", Alexander nailing Boris, and Super tramp's song "Dreamer" when Rocky flies. Have a bad day? Have a rough week? Pop in the movie, relax, and enjoy! This movie captures the fun.
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Note: I have never seen the cartoon series, although I know my step dad is fond of it. So I'm not sure how far this movie strayed away from the "magic" of the original cartoon. Makes me wonder if the new Star Trek film will make me love it or hate it since I'm a fan of the original.
This film was very entertaining and fun. I have never seen the 60's cartoon, but found this movie at a good deal ($5) and picked it up. I popped it in the old DVD player one Sunday afternoon and felt a little guilty and embarrassed. Why? Because this movie was so beyond kiddie. I'm watching a movie with a squirrel and a bull! And loving it.
Very over the top performances..but works very well in this format. I happened to watch Robocop 3 last night, and yes that was very over the top and became cheese! This film does it and succeeds. Robert Deniro does a wonderful job as he did in Dick Tracy. Sure, its no Casino or Heat! but he apparently understands the material and plays the role to fit the film. That's a good actor. No B-movie here. Shame this film is so trashed! Pure entertainment. -
Having enjoyed the original cartoon series, I went into this film with a good attitude. I enjoyed "Airplane!" and am hardly one of those film school arty types who can't take a joke. If Rocky & Bullwinkle had been campy, dumb, but fun, I think I would have enjoyed it.
Unfortunately, the only good thing I can say is that I was hoping to hear a lot of bad puns, and I did. But there the similarity ended.
Taking Rocky & Bullwinkle out of its cartoon format into a 3D realm didn't work for me. The plot stuttered and didn't make any sense. Even starting from the attitude that this is a cartoon, so things will be wacky and nonsensical, it still didn't make any sense.
Worst of all were the syrupy and melodramatic interactions with Karen Sympathy, the FBI agent. The emotions and decisions of the characters didn't make sense.
Finally, there's something about comedy that involves timing. I don't know what it is. But the build-ups and physical pranks didn't work for me. Something was really askew in the presentation.
Who should see this film:
-- nobody, even kids, and especially if you've seen the original series, it will just make you sad
I'm forced to give The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle a 3 out of 10.