Fly Me To The Moon (3-D/2008/Summit DVD)
Picture:
B-/C+ Sound: B- Extras: C- Film: C+
Hollywood
believes that 3-D is the next big thing for the industry now that they have
digital and High Definition going for them, but if the scripts are not working,
it is a false assumption. The original
3-D craze in the early 1950s died quickly for the same reasons, with few of the
feature films or animated shorts remembered today. As a few duds (Hannah Montana, the Brendan Frazier Journey To The Center Of The Earth) hit Blu-ray and DVD in mixed
3-D, Ben Stassen’s Fly Me To The Moon
(2008) is a little computer animated feature with more amusement than expected.
The tales
of young child flies looking for adventure has some more charm and heart that
we expected and though it has its predictability and clichés, is one of the few
non-Pixar/DreamWorks CG features of note and with the voices of Christopher
Lloyd, Buzz Aldrin, Tim Curry, Nicolette Sheridan and even Kelly Ripa (who
knew) has some unexpected chemistry. Of
course, the flies want to go to outer space and you can just guess at how close
they get here.
In 2-D,
this is not bad and you can see the good, creative work that was done
considering the limits in CG the producers had on hand, but I can see why
Summit was so optimistic about this release because they rightly know they have
a feature that could find a loyal audience.
In 3-D, it is even more fun.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is a little soft in 2-D, but comes alive
in 3-D with some fine effects despite some ghosting images here and there. Two 3-D glasses are included in the case and
while the opening is black & white, the rest is in color, though that is
not always as easy to discern in 3-D, but the fun effects (with some wit at times)
makes up for that. I enjoyed its 3-D effects
much more than Hannah Montana or
that Brendan Frazier Journey To The Center Of The Earth in any format. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is also not bad,
though it is weak in some parts of the soundstage, I bet a better soundtrack on
an inevitable Blu-ray would bring out better qualities in what sounds like a
good soundmix. The only extra is an
interactive game called the Interactive Planetary Game.
Fly Me To The Moon is a little child-friendly gem
that deserves a wider audience. This DVD
should help that cause.
- Nicholas Sheffo
