As dim-witted mooses and flying squirrels go, you can't beat Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel, but you can complain to their producers.
This time, "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" moves from the small screen – where it has lived and been loved since 1959 – to the larger screen, with mixed results. First, it's Rocky and Bullwinkle so you've got to love it. But the pointed puns and fast-flying action, according to one reviewer, are "too hectic to allow any breathing room for characterization, even the minimal amount required for live-action cartoons." Well, maybe.
R and B appear as their own animated selves amongst a real life cast. The villains in the piece are Fearless Leader Robert De Niro, Jason Alexander as Boris and Renne Russo as Natasha. There's trouble afoot. Fearless Leader is determined to become President and take over the good old U.S., and our heros must stop him.
De Niro, it is said, reveals a rarely tapped quality; he is silly. And, it also is said, quite entertaining. Whatever, it's a nice break from the tedious and overlong action epics Hollywood has been shooting out as summer fare.
An online pundit, Flick Filosopher, calls the movie "cleverly convoluted." (And he should know.) Another less philosophical voice simply says, "harmless and instantly forgettable entertainment for short attention spans." And, actually, there's nothing really wrong with that. For those of us who are easily amused, you can't go wrong.
It is directed by Des McAnuff and Thomas Ackerman, and rated PG for brief mild language.
It starts Thursday at Market Square East.