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Looney Tunes: Back In Action
R4 - Australia - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Movie Mad (5th June 2004). |
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The Film
 When this film was announced, the thought that ran through everyone's minds, despite talent like Brendan Fraser and Steve Martin on board, was it was going to be 2003's Space Jam. The fact is though, this is one of many reasons why this film bombed at the UK and US Box Offices. But none of these problems are to be found in a superb feature such as this. Cult classics often bomb at the box office - the film you are reading currently is what could be one in the making. A stick of dynamite is more complicated than the ultra-thin plot, which makes the film all the more enjoyable. Daffy Duck gets tired of being sidekick to Bugs Bunny. The Vice President of Comedy (Jenna Elfman) feels that Daffy is not a big enough draw to audiences (in her words, his fans are only "fat geeks in basements") and decides to fire him. As Daffy is escorted out, he manages to escape and stuntman come security guard DJ Drake (Fraser) goes to chase him, ending with the WB water tower falling onto the studio lot, getting DJ promply fired with Daffy. DJ then gets a message from his spy father (Timothy Dalton), just as he as being captured, to go on a journey to find the Blue Monkey before the evil Chairman Of The ACME Corporation (Martin) finds it and uses it for his own sickening scheme. Yep, that's about it. I'm even using characters full names to pad out the summary. I'll dispatch with the issue you all want me to address - do the real actors LOOK like they are talking to cartoon? Yes, and what's more they don't look bored despite talking into thin air. Fraser, returning to his George Of The Jungle roots, plays it all for laughs and is game for anything the film throws at him. Elfman plays her role perfectly with just the right amount of bitchiness and tenderness to pull it off. Dalton, who obviously is working for food, takes cheap shots at his Bond persona, but not looking like he really fits in. The worse of the pack, though, goes to Martin. It's painful to see his mugging as the ACME Chairman, looking and acting like an older version of Kevin The Teenager. However, he gets some funny moments and, thankfully, is a supporting role up to the last act. As for Looney Tunes fans, this is a treat with every widely recognised character getting at least a cameo on screen, with the biggest parts going to Willie Coyote, Yosemite Sam and Marvin The Martian. The breathless pace is a bold move, and one that makes the feature all more like the cartoons it is based on. Director Joe Dante obviously likes his cartoons though and the characters mean alot to him as they are all in their former glory and not cardboard cut-outs that plyed a basketball game with Michael Jordan. However, this isn't just for Looney fans. Film fans will have a ball spotting all the references and stuff happening in background. If you are one the two I've mention above, I suggest getting copies just in case one melts. If you are not any of the above, then just get one for your family as this is supreme entertainment. When trash like "The Cat In The Hat" beats this at the Box Office, it is offical that the movie-going public doesn't think anymore. Make up for that fact now, and give this film the cult following it deserves so WHV can release a SE edition.
Video
Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic PAL, this transfer is beautifully cloured and rendered (check out Sam's read beard for proof). The only trouble is when stock footage of France comes along, which is fully grain, but this is deliberate, so no marks are lost. Subtitles come in the form of English, English HOH and Hebrew.
Audio
Two Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks here in English and Hebrew. For this review, I listened to the English track. This film will give your speakers and subwoofer as much as a workout as any action film. Many items (mostly Daffy) are flung around the soundstage like bullets. This enhances the film to no end.
Extras
Here is where the disc fails. First are two EPK featurettes, the first "Behind The Tunes" is a short making-of featurette with on-set footage, interview tidbits and film clips, with Daffy and Bugs narrating the action. Not infomative and there is lack of any interview footage with Steve Martin. The second featurette is "Carsh, Bang, Boom", which is basically the special effects featurette. Tells us nothing new, and I know this disc is designed for children, but I don't think children or us should be spoken down to as if we don't know anything. A deleted scenes montage called "The Best Scenes You've Never Seen" is stupid because instead of showing us the full deleted scenes on the disc, we have clips of the scenes while Bugs and Daffy add annoying talking over the clips while we watch. There are some gems here and the Alternate Ending (which was done before the Blue Monkey's supernatural function was changed) I like just as much as the final version. None of the scenes are entirely finished, and the toons are rough sketches. I wouldn't mind having these completed and put into an extended edition. If you want the see the full versions of the cut scenes, then you'll need to use the DVD-ROM Web Link. Annoying. Road Runner fans cheer as the short screened before the film in cinemas has made it to DVD. The best extra on the disc. Really. To round off, we have a for once spoilerless Theatrical Trailer and a bonus trailer for the Looney Tunes Golden Collection. Must do better.
Overall
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