Review of Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) by Robin M — 30 Jan 2012

Everyone knows that "Romeo & Juliet" is known for being a Shakespearean classic. To take that classic and making it into a kid's film is quite difficult and the creators of the film succeeded on making a film that kids will enjoy, but failed on keeping adults like me, entertained. I will give the creators prop for following the basic ideal of the play and changing certain scenarios, making it watchable and not going over the violent factor that will possibly traumatize children. The film does what it was meant to do, which is to make a kids film that takes this tragic tale, adding heart that allows children to enjoy and follow the romance of these two characters. The film did follow the characters very well, following the exact plot of the Shakespeare tale and the lighthearted feel will definitely make it enjoyable for adults who love this type of genre. It works very well as a kids film, but when it came to my personal view, I was bored out of my mind.

It felt like sitting down in a classroom, listening to a teacher talking in a monotone voice on a topic about geometry. I tried my best to have a kids mind when I watch these types of films, but couldn't help the fact of seeing how ridiculous it was. There are quite a few exciting events that kids will enjoy, but was unenjoyable for my taste; especially with the worthless trials that the characters are faced with. The film was quite creative and the creativity will allow children to enjoy everything that they see. The people behind this film did a good job of playing out the whole Romeo and Juliet scenario for children, but I could not help the fact of how the presentation was childish and kiddy. I really didn't like how the film told the story, as a scene will play, then out of nowhere, something random happens. Imagine watching "Empire Strikes Back" and as Darth Vader reveals to Luke that he is his father, you see Jar Jar Binks blabbering and flying around the scene; that is what the film feels like. The film has these well done scenarios and ruins it with the extremely random scenarios. Also, I couldn't help to think that some of these events did not matter. You'll watch a montage or a gnome dancing on a computer and as you get the picture of what is going on, the film won't end that scene and will continue to portray the scene for a couple of more minutes. This really caused the film to drag and really made it hard to embrace the jolliness of the film. You will constantly see this and really made it misleading enough for you to care about this gnome tale.

I don't know if it is because of my dislike toward the film, but I feel like the tone of the film is aimed only for children. The creators did a great job of making it enjoyable for people who find it enjoyable, but I could not help with the fact of feeling how senseless and disappointing the film was. I really enjoy watching very stupid but funny scenarios, but the dumbness of this film goes over the border, making it hard to have fun. As the humor may appeal to young children or to people who enjoy this lightheartedness, I hated the humor. The most I have ever done was a little scoff, as the rest of the humor was quite weak, unfunny, and repetitive. Have you ever seen a comedian that tries to be funny and forces the audience to view him funny? This is how I felt toward the film, as the film added these crazily random moments and made it look comical, forcing audiences to embrace that the scene is funny. Because of the random scenarios, this really makes it hard for you to enjoy the plot, care for the characters, and even for the love that Gnomeo and Juliet go through. I did not enjoy the gnome environment and hated some of the characters; I will not be a complete evil maniac and say I hated all of the characters since there were some characters that I actually liked. Mainly, you have annoying characters, the most being the flamingo, random scenarios that pop out of nowhere that do not make any sort of sense, and presented an unexciting ride that was quite dull for my taste. Everything just looked stupid and it was hard to even be entertained with anything.

I hated the CGI as it looked ridiculously low budget and just hated how these characters looked. This film is not as bad as "Alpha and Omega" or the "Star Wars Animation," but it was quite bad. If you are making a full CGI film that is aimed for children, at least make some of them adorable; the only gnome that I think is the best, but did not make any sort of appearance is the traveling gnome. It was very hard to differentiate the gnomes as they all looked the same and all of these gnomes looking downright awful.

The voice acting was okay, but I was certainly surprised to see the whole cast who committed in these roles. James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Cane, and Jason Statham were part of the few who committed in these voices of the gnomes. The one that shocked me the most was the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne, starring in a kids movie. As I laughed about it, I should have noticed as the role was quite noticeable if you re-watch the scenes he appears in. Everyone did okay and no one gave out performances that were annoying.

The only good thing that the film brought was a flashback scene of the annoying flamingo, which was actually a sad scene; however, ruined after you watch the ending scenario. If you are a fan of these children flicks, then you will, without a doubt enjoy this film. If you are like me, on the other hand, that does not enjoy these kiddish flicks and finding it hard to be entertained, then you will deeply hate this film.