BOLT
RYAN: Sadly, I was quite disappointed by “Bolt,” the new Disney animated 3-D movie.
CAROLINE: Given that I never expect animated children’s films to be enjoyable, I thought it was fine. There are a few cute scenes, but mostly I was bored as usual.
RYAN: I’m just sad because it’s so rare that you’re even willing to see a kids’ movie with me, and this one turned out to be lame. You should have come to “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” instead. Much more entertaining and nary a boring moment.
CAROLINE: LBH, let’s be honest, I would have found a way to get bored.
RYAN: “Bolt” is definitely better than “Space Chimps” though, which came out earlier this year. But I still found it very juvenile.
CAROLINE: Yeah, it didn’t really have any sarcasm or jokes for the parents or adults in the audience as some kids’ movies do. There were even some semi-scary moments that I wouldn’t want a small child to see. I’m sure that’s why it’s rated PG and not G.
RYAN: There were a few action scenes, but I wouldn’t call them scary or violent. They were really just car chases or explosions.
CAROLINE: I know, but young kids get freaked out by that stuff. It’s pretty fast paced and loud at the beginning.
RYAN: We were pleasantly surprised upon walking into the screening to find out that the movie’s in Real D 3-D. It’s not even mentioned in the ads, probably because not all theaters have 3-D capabilities. Howe’er, I felt like they barely even used the 3-D. There were no great moments of anything popping out at you or anything.
CAROLINE: That was really odd. The whole 3-D aspect was kind of pointless. I think they just wanted to say it’s in 3-D ‘cuz it sounds cool. It was a little cool, but barely.
RYAN: John Travolta provides the voice of Bolt the dog, and he’s cute. Miley Cyrus is the lead girl and she was better than I thought she’d be.
CAROLINE: Bolt himself is very cute. I had several “Awww…” moments. But then I was just bored. I may have dozed a little; but that’s to be expected for me in a movie like this.
RYAN: I think I saw you snoozing for a minute, and I thought, “I’m not even gonna rouse her. This movie isn’t worth it.”
CAROLINE: Bottom line?
RYAN: I didn’t love it. There were a couple emotional moments that will tug at your heartstrings if you’re a real dog lover like me. But other than that, it felt really flat. Not a great story.
CAROLINE: Bolt plays a dog with superpowers on a TV show within the movie, so I liked all the behind-the-scenes TV moments. But there aren’t any funny or sarcastic jokes for the adults, and very young kids might be freaked by the opening sequence. I’m underwhelmed, which is, again, to be expected. I don’t think I’ll be running out to see any more animated movies with you in the near future.
RYAN: My advice is skip it and go see “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” again.
CAROLINE: I’m sure the kids will love this one just as much. You can’t keep them away from the Disney flicks.