In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Thursday 4 April 2013

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT [1988]

Director Robert Zemeckis does an astounding job at adapting novelist Gary K. Wolf's Who Censored Roger Rabbit? into a big screen bonanza seamlessly melding classical animation with live action.
A definitive landmark in visual effects, Who Framed Roger Rabbit plays like a whacked-out golden age detective story where cartoon characters live side-by-side with the real world.  Filled with hilarious cameos from famous cartoon characters, well-paced action & storytelling, a Carl Stalling-esque jazz-infused orchestral score from Alan Silvestri, a delightfully twisted performance from Christopher Lloyd and jokes both obvious & buried deep in subtext that will please the whole family.  Movies like this don't come around often enough but that's what makes it all the more special.

5 booby traps out of 5

5 comments:

Dr Faustus said...

It's been too many years since I last watched this.

I wonder does it hold up on blu?

Kudos to Hoskins for acting alongside empty space.

I'm shocked it managed to get away with a PG rating.

5 chain-smoking babies out of 5

cuckoo said...

It holds up really well on blu.

Just watched the special 25th Anniversary version that came out this year.

It looks and sounds fantastic. Some of the animation is a little spotty but other than it's great.

Impudent Urinal said...

Christopher Lloyd at the end terrified me as a kid. I still enjoy it today though I somehow have missed actually owning it. The PG does seem baffling, but actually a lot of older movies got it because of Americans backwards prudishness. We're A-OK with violence and swearing, but don't you dare give boners with anything but subtext lest you risk the money-losing R rating.

5 Shave and a Haircut... out of 5

Impudent Urinal said...

Love that alternate poster BTW.

cuckoo said...

While watching the Judge Doom stuff at the end I just shook my head, laughed and thought "what the fuck?"

It's so very very twisted.