Struggling circus owner Max Medici enlists a former
star and his two children to care for Dumbo, a baby elephant born with
oversized ears. When the family discovers that the animal can fly, it soon
becomes the main attraction -- bringing in huge audiences and revitalizing the
run-down circus. The elephant's magical ability also draws the attention of
V.A. Vandevere, an entrepreneur who wants to showcase Dumbo in his latest,
larger-than-life entertainment venture.
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan Arkin
Release Date: March 29, 2019
Genres: Family, Fantasy
Rated PG for peril/action, some thematic elements, and brief mild
language
Runtime: 1h 52min
Review:
Dumbo, the latest live action money grab from Disney, is a film that’s
visually lush but fairly sterile and bland.
Tim Burton seems like a solid fit for this retelling of this tale of an
outsider, something Burton excels at. The odd thing is that
it’s a visually impressive film but it fails to connect on an emotional level
consistently. The CGI creation that is
Dumbo is impressive but it’s difficult to connect to the character since it
doesn’t talk like in the original film.
Going for a more grounded approach is a bit of a misstep since you’re
supposed to connect with your lead character in order for the whole thing to
work. To compound the issue, Tim Burton
seems far more focused on the visuals of the film than the performances of his
A list cast. As a result we get some
fairly stilted performances that come off as overly broad and soulless which is
just startling considering the fact that you have such a strong and likable
cast. They each manage to shine in spots
but it never comes together to create a cohesive story since their characters
are so thinly written. As a result, this
live action redux feels fairly unnecessary and uninspired.
C
Style at the expense of character is a common failing of Tim Burton. The old Dumbo works because he is a waif.
ReplyDeleteYes it's a common occurrence but even more apparent here....
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