Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

Yet to give the film its due, it ought to be said that it’s not all bad. The animation of the rodents is surprisingly very well done and they do as it happens have some very good computerised dance numbers that are extremely energetic and colourful. The film also succeeds in maintaining a fast pace, and a short running time of only 87 minutes ensures that children don’t start getting too distracted and accompanying adults too bored. At the same time it attempts to have a good message at its centre as Alvin (Justin Long) learns that maybe it's not such a good thing to run around all the time like a complete moron and causing problems for everyone in sight. However, it’s done in a very heavy-handed fashion and just feels incredibly preachy as a result, and judging by a post credits scene Alvin hasn’t learned anything at all.

As far as story goes, there does not seem to be one; it’s more a case of all the main characters ending up on an island where they meet a mildly crazy lady (Jenny Slate) and then get into various awkward situations. And there is no real characterisation at all, other then there being a fun/annoying, smart and timid Chipmunk and Chipette at the centre of the action. The only other real traits on offer are gender stereotypes or the result of neurotoxin, the effects of which apparently involve transforming into a horrific French cliché. As for the humans they simply don’t manage to be interesting in any form whatsoever and to call what the people playing them are doing ‘acting’ seems like a mortal insult to the craft. The characters simply aren’t made with enough skill to carry any emotion, nor are they at all funny though it seems doubtful there was anything that could be considered humorous in the script to begin with. The result unsurprisingly is that the entire picture feels more than a little tedious.

I doubt even the very young will find this particularly entertaining; one small girl at the screening I attended kept getting up and running in front of the cinema during the movie. Yet this movie has a few good points, meaning it isn’t the monstrosity on the level of Space Chimps 2 that one might expect, and over the years you’ll have seen worse. This however is definitely not to say it’s anywhere near adequate, particularly at a time when Martin Scorsese’s Hugo is showing just how good family film can be.

See Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked at York's Reel Cinema. For more information click here:[1]

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