What directors Chris Renaud (Despicable Me) and Kyle Balda have brought to life is anti-consumerism preaching at its worst. While some may have balked at the oil tycoon character of Tex Richman in The Muppets, it doesn’t hold a candle to the likes of Mr. O’Hare and his cans of clean air. Screenwriters Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul (the masterminds behind such “classics” as Bubble Boy, The Santa Clause 2, Road Trip, and Hop) have wrought upon moviegoers is cinematic preaching of the most offensive kind. While Dr. Seuss’ original story may have been a nice little fable of the dangers of industrialized society, the film hammers you over the head relentlessly (and in 3-D to make it hurt even more) with its supposed messages.
If anyone ever wanted to call Act of Valor some kind of propaganda, hopefully I can warn you away from the antics on display here. For about 30 minutes I was on board with the film wanting to be the allegory the original book was, but then things became ever more boring. Eventually, the film screeches to a halt and becomes the beacon of preaching with one of its big musical pièce de résistance, “How Bad Can I Be?”
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that it’s a musical? Well that seems kind of hypocritical when they know the soundtrack is available for purchase now isn’t it? All Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax winds up being is as bad as everything they set out to crush with their agenda, which ultimately winds up only being all hope for an entertaining time at the movies.
Photos courtesy Universal Pictures
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