5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.8 |
A Doctor finds out that he can understand what animals are saying. And the animals find out that he understands.
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt, Peter Boyle, Richard SchiffFamily | 100% |
Comedy | 96% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
"Dog bites man" isn't news. On the other hand, "Man bites dog" is news. And "Man talks to dog" is on a whole other level of weird. Comedian extraordinaire Eddie Murphy stars in Dr. Dolittle, a 1998 film both loosely based on the short stories penned by Author Hugh Lofting and a re-imagining of the 1967 film of the same name starring Rex Harrison. The story can be summed up as "man talks to animals. Hilarity ensues...or does it?" Dr. Dolittle misses opportunities to be more; the film is more concerned with wrenching in humor where the situation doesn't necessarily call for it, or when the script simply can't naturally come across it, rather than more deeply exploring the fascinating core story around it. The movie proves wildly unbalanced and hard to tame, fumbling around with a lot of good ideas and peeks into more substantial areas of concern that are rarely, if ever, fully resolved. The end result is a rather crude film that's a bitt too much for the kids and a bit too loud and obnoxious for adults, resulting in a picture with a narrow audience and not much of a spirit beyond a spirited effort from Eddie Murphy who's hampered by a lackadaisical script and a dearth of opportunity to truly shine within the tightly constricted confines of his part. And as with any movie that begins by discussing the virtues of butt-sniffing and proceeds to show a child sniffing his principal's butt, audiences should have a pretty good idea that they're in it for the long haul of blah.
Cats rule, dogs drool, and Eddie Murphy's cool!
Dr. Dolittle features a maddeningly frustrating 1080p transfer. It can look quite good in spurts and borderline awful elsewhere. First, the good. Dr. Dolittle often finds commendably complex textures that bring out the best in basic clothing and facial features. Image clarity usually satisfies, giving the movie a fairly healthy, appealing edge. Light grain sometimes appears. Colors, though mildly favoring an evident warmth, are pleasing to the eye, bold, and well defined in terms of both general vitality and nuance. However, the transfer suffers from a myriad of problems, including an overly processed general appearance. Take a look at a scene depicting an outdoor meeting around the 12-minute mark. It's not only flat (but still fairly well detailed) but it's home to some heavy and unsightly aliasing on suit coats and eyewear. Jagged edges line shirt collars and bald heads. The film's image further disappoints with black levels that are often pale and tired. Light wear and tear in the way of pops and scratches are mild but included. A number of shots are unnaturally soft and lacking the razor-sharp definition seen elsewhere. Of all these problems, the aliasing appears most frequently, on everything from wicker furniture to wood trim inside Dolittle's SUV. Most every shot featuring his glasses are problematic. When it's on, Dr. Dolittle looks good. When it's off, it's quite bad.
Dr. Dolittle's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack may be technically proficient but it's not a particularly exciting listen. Music is adequately clear and well defined with a good, healthy, fairly wide front placement and mild surround support. Ambient sound effects are audible but lack much of a true, immersive posture. The track finds a few good directional bits, and basic imaging is well done, particularly as animals speak out of a corner rather than the front, culminating in a good, fully immersive cacophony of voices filling the stage when Dolittle visits an animal shelter in chapter eight. General dialogue is clear and well defined with natural center placement. The track doesn't raise any eyebrows or perk any ears. It does its duty well enough and is, sadly, the best part of an otherwise bland release.
All that's included is the Dr. Dolittle theatrical trailer (1080i, 2:13, 4x3).
Dr. Dolittle means well but never quite gets anything right. Its PG-13 rating makes it inaccessible to younger kids, who should be the target audience, and too unbalanced for adults. The film falls into a murky middle ground where it feels either too overdone or too constrained. It's not the significantly more audience-appropriate sequel, and on the other hand it's not the raunchy, adult-oriented Ted, two films that know their audience and play to their audience. Dr. Dolittle, despite some fun moments, never does find its soul or center, and even the venerable Eddie Murphy can't accomplish much with a wayward script and clumsy pace. 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray is as disappointing as the movie. Flawed video, passable but unremarkable audio, and no supplements of note make this a release that's easy to skip.
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We Love Lucy / S1 / I Love Lucy: Season 7
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