Space Chimps (2008/20th Century Fox Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C Film: C
Kirk
DiMicco’s Space Chimps (2008) is yet
another secondary entry into the computer animation sweepstakes and like Fly Me To The Moon (reviewed elsewhere
on this site) is not half bad in what sounds like a slight send up of the Planet Of The Apes franchise. After a prologue of how various monkeys were
used by the U.S. space program historically, we get a tale of the latest NASA
chimps sent from earth to the outreaches of outer space, but they turn out to
be intelligent chimps and here comes a comedy adventure for the whole family.
Though
there are some amusing moments and there is actually a passable script here,
this is child-friendly enough for those interested if not too memorable. The idea itself is a thin one and can only go
so far and though we have seen worse, I wondered if this would have ever been
made if it were other than a CG project where such animation (like Fly Me To The Moon) lends itself to space
adventure. We’ll see if this develops
into a CG subcycle.
The 1080p
2.385 X 1 AVC @ 24 MBPS digital high Definition image is on the soft side, but
has some good moments visually, though nothing of demo quality. Like so many other CG features that are not
Disney/Pixar or DreamWorks, you start to realize the limits of the animation
technology the makers could afford. In
those cases, I eventually wish it were hand-drawn. The DTS HD Master Audio (MA) lossless is not
bad and if it were any better, I would have to rate it higher, but the mix is
uneven and the dialogue recording is nothing special. Chris Bacon and The Blue Man Group did the
music, but it was not anything that unusual, though it tries to be quirky. Extras include TV spots, stills and a Fox
Movie Channel tie-in show to promote the film.
- Nicholas Sheffo
