A legendary rivalry reemerges when Jerry
moves into
Director: Tim Story
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña,
Colin Jost, Rob Delaney, and Ken Jeong, Nicky Jam, Bobby Cannavale, Lil Rel Howery, William Hanna, Mel Blanc,
June Foray, Frank Welker
Release Date:
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Rated PG for cartoon violence, rude humor
and brief language
Runtime: 1 h 41 min
Review:
Tom and Jerry is very much a throwback on
multiple levels. The titular pair are
some of the most iconic characters in the history of animation with this being
the second outing on the big screen.
It’s not the mess that the 1992 film but still scattershot and uneven
for its runtime. The live action hybrid
works fairly well even though there are multiple times that you can tell the
cast is reacting to air or placeholders.
Its still a very impressive feat on a technical level and the animations
looks wonderfully fluid. It’s hard to
watch this without getting some Who Framed Roger Rabbit vibes in spots with a
more family friendly approach. The story
and direction are harmlessly broad for the most part but there are bits of
edge, some of which works well while others fall flat. Tom and Jerry mostly stay true to their
classic iterations which is a win for people who remember the classic
shorts. The human cast is solid if bland
with Chloë Grace Moretz carrying the larger portion of the film, Moretz is a
talented actress but her delivery here feels a little wooden and
uninspired. Her character never really connects
as a fully formed entity but just a vessel to move the story along. Michael Peña likewise doesn’t feel as
naturalistic as he usually does which leads me to be believe that there might
be a disconnect between the live actors and their animated counter parts. As such, we are left with an overlong film
that works in spots but lulls in others.
Tim Story’s film would have benefited from trimming but overall it’s a
solid mindless family film that’ll keep most kids entertained.
C+
