Backstreet 2.0
Alvin and the Chipmunks (2008)
Starring: Jason Lee
Directed by: Tim Hill
The Gist: Down on his luck songwriter Dave Seville gets a big break when 3 singing chipmunks break into his house. Based on characters created in the 60's, Alvin, Simon and Theodore.
One of the best cartoon films I've seen is The Chipmunk Adventure (1987). I was a big fan of the 80's TV series but the movie just blew me away. It was definitely made for the big screen...major action, clever writing and catchy tunes. I was 9 years old back in '87 and the only other guy I'd ever had a crush on was Optimus Prime...then came Alvin.
Needless to say, I was rather excited about this new 3D version. (See I don't hate CGI). I also REALLY like Jason Lee and have been following his career with much interest since Mallrats. I think he's wonderful in My Name is Earl and I could watch him all day. There is something optimistically charming about the man.
So I had high hopes for this film...with Jason Lee and my beloved chipmunks, what could go wrong? Thankfully, not very much. They've brought the guys into the 21st century with flare and I have to say, I really enjoyed it! Alvin and the Chipmunks will always be for the kids, and this second big screen endeavor is no different. While it does have some great adult humour, most of the relationships are dulled down for the short stacks.
I know a lot of fans of this won't enjoy it, much like they crucified poor Mr. Bay for what he did with Transformers and the new updated Ninja Turtles in TMNT. I loved both, so I can't say much about those other folks. I've been a fan of all these characters growing up and still enjoy their adventures and am relatively happy with the updates.
Alvin, Simon and Theodore's comeback was really fun to watch and I'm so glad that kids today will get to know them. A highlight for me was the 2008 version of "Witch Doctor". If you have kids, rent the old movie...it still looks great. Very cool man.
3/5 Cute Furries
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