Movie Review: Flushed Away

My feelings about Flushed Away are mixed. I have to say, like many people I'm sure, I really love CG movies. Being in the software development field, the technology of CG facinates me. And being a movie lover, I'm captivated by the look of CG movies, their colour, the detail. It is worse since I'm just a big kid at heart and CG movies are just the best type of cartoons :-).

What I saw the trailers for Flushed Away, I was immediately impressed with the graphics. The "Walice and Gromit" style of animation was a bit strange at first, but the visual quality was nonetheless impressive. The trailer had funny scenes, but at the same time appear to have some unappealing elements (bathroom humour, etc.).

I ended up going to see it with a friend, both of us bringing our children. Overall, I have to say the movie was just "okay". There were funny scenes (most were in the trailer). The slugs popping up at odd times with their high-pitched screams and breaking out in song were hilarious. The story, however, was just so-so. The story didn't develop in any way that drew me in. The incidents that happened just appeared to be thrown in, especially the stuff with the frogs. Many things that happened just seemed to have the purpose of enabling some kind of verbal or visual gag/joke.

The main problem I had with the movie was that it was shallow. It attempted to provide a moral regarding family, not being alone, focusing on things of value, but it never really did so...at least not in any substantial way. The moral seemed to be thinly and barely painted into the script. Additionally, the movie was filled with a lot of bathroom-type humour, gross elements (belching, making mess), lazy living, etc. without ever speaking to it (never mind the scene where the girl mouse had her panty showing). Such things are not appropriate, especially for young minds. Since they were never addressed as wrong and there was hardly a moral, these things were presented as okay and natural, rather than wrong.

Contrast that with movies like Over The Hedge and Cars.

Over The Hedge spoke clearly to the deceptive behaviour of the raccoon and through the turtle their reckless actions where condemned. Responsibility, honesty, family, etc. were clearly portrayed.

Cars spoke clearly to selfishness and self-centered attitudes. It also spoke to what is really important in life (not success and self-glorification, but friends, family, thinking of others).

Our media today needs less hollow stories with crude humour. We need movies with substance and purpose and messages. As Over The Hedge and Cars clearly demonstrate, it is possible to have a fun, exciting, visually engaging movie that is also substantive.