It might be the main draw, but Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022 Film) would have been much better fun with fewer and more meaningful cameos.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022 Film) Synopsis
Not even the closest of friendships can withstand the test of time, or that of showbiz! Decades after their hit series, Chip and Dale are estranged; Chip, deeply bitter over Dale’s decision to stage a solo show at the height of their popularity. Would the tragic plight of one of their closest friends bring the ex-buddies back together? And would their showbiz-trained detective skills be enough to expose a conspiracy bent on completely subverting the American animation industry?
Snappy Review
I streamed this the moment it was available on Disney+ but took over two days to write this snappy review. Reason being, I just couldn’t decide which is the best way to express my mixed feelings about this “revival.” One that many people seemed to have enjoyed.
It’s like, I wasn’t acutely disappointed and I did finish the movie in one viewing. On the other hand, I doubt I’d be rewatching any time soon and it certainly wouldn’t go into my list of favourite 2022 movies. Not by a long shot.
I guess … I should just be blunt and get this review done with.
First off, this is such a frighteningly ambitious project. Disney is not just having another go at the, what’s the phrase, combined universe formula *, it’s paying homage to one of the earliest movies to do so. The whole show is so obviously a homage to Who Framed Roger Rabbit, one of the greatest live-action/animated hybrid movies of all time.
At the same time, it is a popularity revival (of sorts) for two classic Disney characters, two quarrelsome critters who are still found in Disneylands worldwide. As if that’s not enough, the movie goes one step beyond Roger Rabbit by featuring three styles of animation within one show.
Oh wait, there’s even a not-so-veiled satire of two of showbiz’s ugliest ills! Bootlegging and the ditching of child actors who are no longer “cute.”
Truly, truly an ambitious project. In all fairness, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers enthusiastically presses all the right buttons too. The problem though, no button is fully pressed or pressed properly.
To begin with, the dialogue just isn’t very funny, or memorable. The lifelines of such movies are hilarious but insightful lines, those that really bring characters to life. There just aren’t many such lines throughout. I struggle to highlight even one great quote.
The story is also rather lacking. There is that detective adventure, crazy Sunday morning cartoon feel, but for a full-length 2022 movie, highs are sorely lacking. Or should I say, true highs? Moments that make you sit up or cringe in your seat because of the threat to the heroes?
Add to which is an issue highlighted by some reviewers on Facebook, one that I have to agree with. This show is simply too obsessed with the number of cameos. Quality is ignored.
Let me elaborate with examples. The Masters of the Universe cameo mid-show made me guffaw like a kid because the brief lines delivered were such naughty spins on the personas of He-Man and Skeletor.
In stark contrast, I barely felt anything when Randy Marsh cameoed in a sauna. It’s like, what’s so delightful about that, beyond the thought of, oh, they are acknowledging South Park.
90 percent of the cameos are the Randy Marsh sort. Some are so fleeting they barely register. Others pop up in the middle of action sequences and vanish before you could have a clear look.
Beyond a point, I wish they’d stop. Just stop and focus on the chipmunks. I mean, wouldn’t fewer, more meaningful speaking cameos be way better than these meaningless, momentary guest appearances?
* You know, movies like Ready Player One and Wreck-it Ralph.
Check out my other snappy movie reviews.
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