I haven't announced what was to be released in cinemas this weekend. One reason being that I was away and the most important one is that there was nothing out to tell you about anyway. The only film to be released, that was high profile anyway, was Step Up 4 which is an avoidable film if you ask me. So as there wasn't much on, with nothing having been released and everything else having been seen and reviewed, we decided to see The Lorax, the next cartoon creation based on a story from Dr Seuss' collection. I've not seen many of the films based on his creations and I have not read any of his work so for me this film was no better than an average tale with stuff which can be classed as a yay, and stuff which could be classed as a big fat nah.
For starters this is a cartoon film which I'm sure most of you are aware of, and it is about a strange little creature with a moustache called the Lorax. The instant problem with the film is that there is actually no need for the Lorax at all. He does resemble the themes that are involved within the film but the story is more about a kid called Ted and his quest to find a living tree. This leads him to a man called the Ounce-ler, who tells the story of how it was his fault all the trees are gone and instead people breath artificial air supplied by corporations. The only way the Lorax becomes involved in this is because he was summoned once the trees were destroyed, and told the Ounce-ler that what he was doing was wrong. He may have sent a message for the children who were watching but I don't really understand why the film would be called the Lorax when he is really just a supporting character.
It plays out like an older version of a cartoon film, in that it sends out a very strong message and every twenty minutes there is a musical number. Not saying that this is a problem but in cartoon films of today we don't have many musical cartoons other than the old fashioned Disney's. The issue I sometimes have with the sing-a-longs are that they become cheesy and the songs are so catchy that I sing them for the next week!! Luckily not many of the songs are overly good enough to continue singing. The message left by the film seems to be about large corporations running the way the world works, and how important nature still is in our lives. In the story we see a plastic town in which most of the population live in, and they have never seen anything like a real living tree. This film will really send out a strong message to children and I do think it is a good film for kids.
The voice talent is good enough. DeVito is strong as the Lorax but he doesn't seem to be in it anywhere near as much as you may think he will be. Ed Helms plays the voice of the Ounce-ler and fits in with ease, even playing two different voices for the older and younger versions of his character. Taylor Swift and Zac Efron play the voices for our love chasing teen central characters and due to their age aren't miscast but they don't have to try very hard to really convince.
The final thought of the film is that it is simply OK. It is a bit of fun but there are some terrible moments. I haven't read the story before and maybe I am missing something but even if I was up to scratch with the original material I still don't think it would be a great film. With some of the cartoon films being released in this era, The Lorax falls way short and being familiar with source material is not going to change that. Overall it is simply just a film that was watched due to there being nothing else on worth watching that I haven't already seen.Pros: Strong message and good for kids.
Cons: Not enough Lorax, and some awful songs.
5 / 10
Top 10 films of 2012 so far:
1. The Dark Knight Rises 10 / 10
2. The Hunger Games 8 / 10
3. Snow White And The Huntsman 8 / 10
4. Avengers Assemble 7.5 / 10
5. Ted 7.5 / 10
6. 21 Jump Street 7.5 / 10
7. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol 7 / 10
8. The Grey 7 / 10
9. Prometheus 6.5 / 10
10. Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World 6.5 / 10
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