Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 10, 2018

If the word "beloved" is attached to any entertainment property in any corner of the world, chances are Hollywood has an eye on making it into a movie, whether building a first-time feature, cranking out a sequel, or taking another pass with a remake or reimagining. Take Rocky & Bullwinkle, the, yes, beloved 1960s cartoon phenomenon that has lived on in reruns for decades and entertained children the world over. While a movie may not have seemed inevitable then or even around the time of this film's release, it was certainly not a surprise. Cartoon classics like The Jetsons had previously been repurposed for the silver screen, but a 90-minute Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon probably wasn't going to draw all that many fans into theaters. But a live action/animation hybrid in the spirit of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Maybe. Director Des McAnuff's film takes the step of bringing the animated characters into the real world, leaving the title characters in their natural cartoon state while transitioning the franchise's villains to live action, played by living actors (including Robert De Niro!). The result is a silly movie, made to be absurd, that's just different enough to differentiate it from the source animation while still staying relatively true to the foundational tenants that made the cartoon such a lasting and cherished program. Unfortunately, it doesn't work in the aggregate. It's more obnoxious than it is fun, trying too hard at every turn to be funny and winding up overly complex and sometimes seriously grating.

In 1964, the Rocky & Bullwinkle show was cancelled. And it remains cancelled today. Their cartoon town has fallen into disrepair and the duo are living on diminishing residual checks. Basically, life isn’t being too kind to the comedy pair. Meanwhile, a trio of villains -- Fearless Leader (Robert De Niro), Boris (Jason Alexander), and Natasha (Rene Russo) -- go underground when the Iron Curtain falls, and their path takes them to a place where the real world and cartoon world collide. They pitch a movie to an executive (Janeane Garofalo) that allows them to escape the animated world and come alive in the real world, in the flesh. Fearless Leader’s grand plan is buy up cable airtime and air idiotic television that will render anyone who watches unable to create an independent thought. His ultimate goal: to be voted in as President of the United States. In an effort to foil the plot, the FBI tasks agent Karen Sympathy (Piper Perabo) with pulling the animated Rocky (voiced by June Foray) and Bullwinkle (voiced by Keith Scott) from their animated world into this world to save the day.

Give the movie credit for a quasi-interesting, though certainly not novel, idea and set-up. Rather than just throw a couple of animated icons into the real world, the film returns to the show’s roots and takes a little bit of time exploring the years in between their rise to fame and fortune and their dwindling returns in syndication. There’s not a very good reason for the intermixing of live action and animated -- it’s quick and contrived with no real explanation beyond the villainous character magically reaching some portal or another -- and the plot grows a bit convoluted in explaining it away. But it also means that any viewer need know nothing about the original cartoon to get into, and try to enjoy, the movie. In fact, an understanding of the basics of the Hollywood moviemaking system might be a little more beneficial at the beginning, though the film quickly evolves into a simple road picture that takes every opportunity to pull a gag or tell a joke. It’s not overly burdened by specifics, at least after the opening act, as it settles into a routine and seems perfectly content to go with the flow with little concern for telling a worthwhile story.

The movie crams in puns galore, whether they be good puns or bad puns. The movie is absolutely unafraid to aim high, or low, as the case may be, to toss in any and every poke and joke the writers could possibly conceive. Some work, many do not, but there’s a steady flow of light-edge antics throughout the movie. It keeps the movie breezy if nothing else, and the film overcomes its flat jokes by sheer volume of effort that sees enough hit, with enough regularity, to maintain some level of momentum. That said, the shtick does grow old rather quickly, as the next batch of puns and barrage of jokes slowly begin to eat away at the audience rather than entertain it. Over-the-top voices and characters begin to grate rather quickly, too.

Nothing about the original show seemed worthy of expansion into a feature length film. The program worked great as a quick-burst entertainer, but here the filmmakers have to try too hard to reach a runtime, build a semblance of a story, and maintain interest, particularly by throwing in a steady stream of A-list faces to populate various scenes, from Whoopi Goldberg to Billy Crystal. The result is a movie that, despite the best efforts to keep the audience entertained, slows down once the novelty wears thin and, worse, wears off and it begins to grate rather than humor, to annoy rather than entertain.

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle is not the worst-offender Universal catalogue title on the market, but the image isn't exactly pristine, either. Edge enhancement is commonplace. Characters and objects, even in close-up, are often saddled and surrounded by large encircling halos. The picture appears fairly processed across the board, but the good news is that it hasn't been noise reduced to the point of total image destruction. Basic textural qualities remain and the image more or less retains a decent filmic texturing. Intimate details are few, but core definition is fairly good, boosted by the 1080p resolution but not exactly replicating a perfect film-quality picture. Colors are likewise solid if not unremarkable. The palette is varied and bright but nothing stands out for either intensely or perfectly saturated, whether considering live action or animation. Skin tones and black levels, again, get the job done with acceptable but unremarkable appearances.

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track lacks the nuance of better presentations, but its energetic posture and willingness to expand to the 5.1 channel setup's limits at least provide bursts of activity that compliment on the on-screen zaniness well enough. Music engages with fair-to-good width and depth and fidelity. Machinery and other big effects always find impressive stage presence and action scenes are never timid when it comes to volume or throwing information out of every speaker. The track never wants for more vigor or raw engagement, even if it is left wanting improved accuracy and subtlety. That extends to some atmospheric effects, too, but it's mostly the big cues that really border on overplaying. Dialogue is fine, presenting with adequate, though certainly not perfect, distinction and prioritization from the front-center channel.

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle contains one supplement, accessible in-film only via a crude pop-up menu (no top menu is included). Spotlight on Location: The Making of 'The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle' (1080i upscaled, 24:34) is a decently in-depth look at the concept and execution, characters and performances, Des McAnuff's work as director, digital animation and bringing animated characters into live action material, and more. Needless to say, no DVD, no digital copy, and no slipcover are included with purchase.

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle gives an honest effort in a few key areas, including explaining away the how's and the why's of the characters entering this world. The filmmakers otherwise throw the kitchen sink at the script. The movie is too busy, too repetitious, and too tedious and tiresome and grating by the time it hits its midpoint. A few A-list stars appear to try and lift the material out of its malaise but cannot succeed. Watch the original cartoons, in short bursts, instead. Universal's Blu-ray offers dated and flawed but passable video. Audio lacks precision but not aggression. One lengthy featurette is included. At a selling price of $20, skip it. At $5-$10 it might be worth a buy.