For a children's film to work, it usually has to cater to both the children and the adult that brings the children to the film. Movies such as Shrek and Wall-E have perfected the tightrope dance that this requires. The Lorax throws that idea right out the window—and suffers considerably in the process. Instead of finding a way to please both audiences within a single storyline, the creators of The Lorax created two parallel stories—one for the adults; another for the children.
The children's storyline is very much like the Three Stooges. With the wildlife and terrain that Dr. Seuss provided, the slapstick is obviously enjoyable to the children. But it just keeps going. The same slapstick antics are used time and time again. The lack of creativity is a stain on the honor of Dr. Seuss. With everything that he poured into this world, it shouldn't be too difficult to pour some extra effort into the movie. Right?
The adult side of the film is worse. Although the "save the planet" storyline is interesting at first, it quickly loses its appeal. By the time the movie is concluding, you will feel like the creators are slapping you. If I wanted to be preached to about how I was destroying the planet, I would tune into Infowars. In the meantime, the storyline progresses haphazardly. The end is absolutely absurd. I found myself hoping for a quick end. On the plus side, my wish was granted.
There are a few plus sides to the movie. Danny Devito does a good job in his role of the Lorax. Why Taylor Swift was picked, however, is beyond me. Even her voice shows how lacking her acting ability is. The one part of the movie that still has me confused is the singing. The Lorax starts off with a song. I thought I simply hadn't realized it was a musical. But then there's no more singing until halfway through. This movie can't decide if it should be a musical or just a movie. I must say that the songs are catchy. On the other hand, the song about greed will terrify children.
The Lorax is not a children's film worth seeing. If you want to see a great children's film with subtle political undertones, watch Wall-E. That movie does everything that The Lorax fails at. 2012 has been an awful year for children's films. Journey 2 was even worse than The Lorax. I hope this trend changes soon. Luckily, there is still ten months left in the year to remedy that problem.
reillyreviews.wordpress.com
The children's storyline is very much like the Three Stooges. With the wildlife and terrain that Dr. Seuss provided, the slapstick is obviously enjoyable to the children. But it just keeps going. The same slapstick antics are used time and time again. The lack of creativity is a stain on the honor of Dr. Seuss. With everything that he poured into this world, it shouldn't be too difficult to pour some extra effort into the movie. Right?
The adult side of the film is worse. Although the "save the planet" storyline is interesting at first, it quickly loses its appeal. By the time the movie is concluding, you will feel like the creators are slapping you. If I wanted to be preached to about how I was destroying the planet, I would tune into Infowars. In the meantime, the storyline progresses haphazardly. The end is absolutely absurd. I found myself hoping for a quick end. On the plus side, my wish was granted.
There are a few plus sides to the movie. Danny Devito does a good job in his role of the Lorax. Why Taylor Swift was picked, however, is beyond me. Even her voice shows how lacking her acting ability is. The one part of the movie that still has me confused is the singing. The Lorax starts off with a song. I thought I simply hadn't realized it was a musical. But then there's no more singing until halfway through. This movie can't decide if it should be a musical or just a movie. I must say that the songs are catchy. On the other hand, the song about greed will terrify children.
The Lorax is not a children's film worth seeing. If you want to see a great children's film with subtle political undertones, watch Wall-E. That movie does everything that The Lorax fails at. 2012 has been an awful year for children's films. Journey 2 was even worse than The Lorax. I hope this trend changes soon. Luckily, there is still ten months left in the year to remedy that problem.
reillyreviews.wordpress.com