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In Short: Moderately funny cartoon adaptation gets enjoyable DVD from Universal.
The Movie:
Brendan Fraser really needs to be a little more consistent. He may be perfect either playing the dopey heros of "George of The Jungle" or this film, but they're not taking his career anywhere. He'd do much better continuing on the course he's set with films like the "Mummy". This isn't a total loss, but it's certainly a forgettable "live-action" edition of the cartoon, with Fraser playing the title hero, Sarah Jessica Parker playing his love, Nell and Alfred Molina playing the villian Sindley Whiplash.
Not too much of a plot to discuss. Dudley's a Canadian Mountie who has to save his girlfriend from the clutches of the villian while stopping his evil scheme. It's occasionally funny, and passes by quickly at a fast 75 minutes.
The DVD
VIDEO:
Not a bad transfer from Universal, who includes both the full-frame and letterboxed edition on this DVD release. The 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer looks enjoyable, but not perfect. Images are clear and crisp, but not terribly sharp or well defined. Detail is good, but not great. Colors are fine - looking strong and vibrant throughout with no problems. Flesh tones are accurate and natural. I didn't see this in the theater so I'm not sure, but the dark scenes looked a little darker than they should at times, I thought.
The only really problem is that the picture isn't quite as sharp as I'd care to see. Other than that, the print used is clean and clear and there are no instances of shimmering or any similar such problems.
SOUND: Wow, pretty impressive for a kid's movie. There are a lot of little and not so little surround effects that really add to the mildly enjoyable movie. Clear, clean dialogue and natural, pure sounding score are the other highlights in a movie that's not outstanding, but certainly enjoyable in the sound department.
MENUS:: Basic menus with no animation, simply using the cover art.
EXTRAS: Trailer, bios and new "Fractured Fairy Tale".
Final Thoughts Good for a rental.
Film Grade
The Film 75/C = (375/500 possible points)
Stars: ** 1/2
DVD Grades
Video 85/B = (340/400 possible points)
Audio: 92/A = (368/400 possible points)
Extras: 75/C = (225/300 possible points)
Menus 75/C = (150/200 possible points)
Value: 85/B = (255/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1713/2100
Average:82%/B
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