ADVENTURES OF ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE, THE

"If ever two illustrated stereotypes were fashioned directly from Cold War paranoia they were R&B’s arch nemeses Boris and Natasha. Any generation loves a soaring squirrel and a moronic moose, but the No-Goodnik duo from Pottsylvania don’t readily appeal as feasible villains for a Year 2000 feature. The solution? A plot that simultaneously yanks them past the fall of the Berlin Wall and into reality. Good manoeuvre. Making the CGI—real life combination a key element of the narrative affords a plethora of self-parody possibilities, and smug cleverness was always the cartoon series’ definitive feature. It never dumbed down for children, they reached for it. As a pre-pubescent fan I adored the satire, the word play, the witty asides, and the flippant commentary of the supercilious narrator. Only kidding. I really loved the cute creatures and the fantastic absurdity. It was already in reruns before I was born, but growing up with it, and gradually realising how much previously went over my head, revealed its enduring quality. Attempting to cater to both adults and children can be a recipe for boring all ages, but Rocky and Bullwinkle has always, including this latest incarnation, pulled it off. The only disappointing aspect is that the fascinating casting of De Niro and Alexander doesn’t quite deliver what it promises. They’re far too talented to portray cartoon characters in a sketchy way (sorry), but somehow their cartoon counterparts seem more animated (puns are the spirit here, you know). Instead, Australian voice mimic extraordinaire, Keith Scott, steals the show with his brilliant vocalisations of Bullwinkle and our loveably cynical narrator. Even more importantly, the writing’s as sharp as ever. Bullwinkle’s conjurer’s hat has vanished, but the overall magic materialises delightfully on the silver screen."
Brad Green

"The Hollywood scramble to turn baby boomer childhood television viewing habits into box office gold continues. Now it's the turn of the five-minute morning cartoon staple Rocky and Bullwinkle. All begins well and we can't wait for Bullwinkle's cheesy 'hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!' followed by the inevitable failure and typical ‘I better get another hat!' The first five minutes or so is extremely faithful to the old series with all the characters still in corny fast-paced animation land. We still have hope as they break free from their drawn world with the quality of actors cast as the villains. De Niro is masterful as the evil Fearless Leader, Jason Alexander gives it all he has, and Reno Russo is delightfully throaty and wicked as the worldly Natasha. New York based playwright Kenneth Lonergan provides a script that initially shows much promise, retaining the corn of the original while adding some extremely witty observations of the nature of the movie business. Studio exec Janeane Garofolo rejects a pile of scripts as 'too intelligent'. There is an actual green light house, allowing films to be made. The cartoon humour includes FBI talk of the three Generals: Foods, Store, and Admission; and signs such as Crymia River. Yet somehow, as is so often the case with both these revival attempts and live action - cartoon hybrids, it doesn't work. Both the cuteness and sophistication disappear, the Rocky and Bullwinkle animations present a seemingly unmanageable challenge for the human actors, and not once do we get the 'watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat' schtick. Disappointed.
Lee Gough

"I chuckled, I giggled, I laughed and I squirmed with pleasure at the bad puns. I never did have much to do with Rocky and Bullwinkle before, so I am a test case. Did I get the movie? Yesssiree, I did. I dig the zany puns and silly humour of it, I like the inventive story telling that delivers our cartoon characters across the time and technology gaps, and I felt thoroughly entertained. This is a worry, since the film is aimed at people young enough to be my …er…grandchildren. But the fun doesn’t come from sophistication v crude bins; it comes from the original creative premise that it was possible to entertain kids without treating them like morons. Don’t you be a fool, go and see it.
Andrew L. Urban