Who let Robert do Animation? "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" Review

When people hate on movies like “Avatar” or “Independence Day” the main attack they have against it is that the special effects might be good but the rest is garbage. I tend to laugh at people like that because it seems like those people have this animosity towards special effects movies and automatically assume that it is bad without really judging it fairly. Those people also tend to think that the reason why people like those movies is because of all the effects and today I am going to have to be one of those people.

I tried. I really tried to like “Roger Rabbit” but I just couldn't get past the fact that it took itself too seriously. Does that really spoil the film? I say yes because everyone is acting like cartoons in a film that has a darker plot and grim characters.

Bob Hoskins I think can be a great actor given the right roles but in this film he just overacts in order to match the energy of the animated characters, something futile for anyone other than probably Jim Carey. The rest of the acting is not perfect either. Everything is centered on the special effects that make the toons interact with the humans.

It’s not a terrible film; it has plenty to like in it, like some of the humor that comes out of the animated characters. A particularly amusing and yet truthful line spoken mentions that cartoon characters can anything they want as long as it is funny. Just like Wild E Coyote can get an anvil anytime he wants as long as it ends up landing on his head, preferable squishing him down to a hairy pancake.

It is pretty convincing in putting the cartoons next to actors and most of it is welcome. But as I said before what really destroys the film is its unrelenting attitude. Robert Zemekis is a great director, but animation just isn’t his thing. He has done so many creepy animated movies like this one, “The Polar Express”, and “Beowulf” to name a few, but most of his live action films are home runs.

Don’t skip this movie as it is worth a watch, but don’t expect too much of it because now that the effects are dated there is not as much holding it together as it seemed when it was released in 1988.

6/10

Tell me what is your favorite movie that blends animation with live action? I myself prefer “Space Jam” as it succeeds at not only being a comedy but a good sports movie as well. Let me know.