Review of Home (2015) by Harry W — 23 Jul 2015

Though Dreamworks animated films already have enough appeal, with Home featuring the voice work of sitcom star Jim Parsons, it had an extra edge to it.

Straight off the bat I realized that Home was not a film which would make me laugh.The humour in the film is very juvenile which leaves the market very clearly as a young audience. Unfortunately, it does not even mke an attempt to go beyond its target audience and ultimately ends up being too esoteric for its own good. This is because mostof the humour sources from the dialogue, but the writing is just slack. The language that the species of Boov speak is nothing more than the fractured version of English you would find through a Google translation. Considering that this is most predominantly spoken by a character who can't shut up, it gets repetitive very quickly. Yet even from the start it just isn't that funny. As Home is more reliant on it's unfunny language than on crafting genuinely original humour. The situations in the film are not funny because the story is predictable while the fast pace of the film attempts to rush past that with overplayed slapstick humour to try and distract viewers. Though younger audiences may find amusement in the experience, there is really little that Home has to offer in the way of competent thought.

Ultimately, the writing in Home is very lazy, and if that isn't obvious enough through the simplistic title of the film then you're going to find it out through the fast yet dull 94 minutes of one of Dreamworks' most overblown films to date.

Even the animation in Home is problematic which is strange considering that it is the best part of the film. It is extensively detailed and shows a universe packed with colour, but it is also somewhat underwhelming. The film overuses so many of the same colours without branching out, making the experience a little too brightly fluorescent for its own good. But though it is bright, the fact that too many of the same colours keep on appearing end up putting a monochromatic feeling into the experience. And at the same time, the film clearly spends so much time attempting to make the experience 3D by packing so much into the foreground of the film. Unfortunately, this means that the background of the animation does not end up integrating with the scheme very well and so the scale of the story does not seem that believable. And on top of all that, the way that the film animates the character Gratuity "Tip" Tucci ultimately ends up giving her the same basic facial expressions at a repetitive rate the entire film with a smile that will not drop, making her strangely optimistic. There is more emotion in the Rihanna's voice work than in the animation's depiction of the character. Ulimately, Home fails to be a great visual spectacle in so many ways which makes the faults of its narrative all the more obvious.

The soundtrack to Home is honestly just not that appealing. In a desperate attempt to fit in more with the contemporary music scene than what would appropriately fit the context of a science fiction adventure, Home makes use of a lot of dubstep music and Rihanna singles. Neither of these boost the credibility of the film. The use of dubstep music during the more dramatic scenes of the film does not succeed as atmospheric or feeling technological in tune with the science fiction elements of the film, but rather a frustrating music video. Alternatively, the singles by Rihanna are not appropriate because it is far too obvious that she is both singing and the voice of Gratuity "Tip" Tucci at the same time, particularly when the film cuts between the use of her songs and voice acting. This makes the experience feel all the more artificial and her songs are just genuinely not that emotional or catchy. There are brief moments of success from the orchestral pieces, but they are buried beneath everything else which appears far too frequently.

So Home messes up its animation and soundtrack, leaving the cast as one of the only beneficial factors left in the film.

Jim Parsons is a welcome presence in Home. It takes a while to get used to his role since he is once again an extensively talkative character with an abundance of scientific knowledge, a role all too similar to the character of super-intelligent nerd Sheldon Cooper from the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. As the actor is so iconic for the role it is almost at an extent of typecasting, and so that means that the similiarities between the character and his role as Oh in Home take some adjusting. However, the role is ideal for him due to the same reason. He clearly seems to be having a lot of fun in the role which transfers over well to the character as there is a lot of energy about him, and even though the jokes are so repetitive and uncreative that it is easy for them to miss their mark, there is no stopping Jim Parsons from throwing his most energetic level of passion into the mix. Jim Parsons takes a strong stand as the lead voice actor in Home, and the comedic appeal should appeal to both children and his fanbase well enough to bring in an audience.

Rihanna makes a good effort as well. Rihanna puts a good amount of passionate spirit into the role of Gratuity "Tip" Tucci while also adding a touch of attitude to her, effectively adding an unexpected level of life to the character. I shouldn't be surprised as Rihanna's genuine skills lie with what she can do with her voice since she is a singer, and she transfers that talent to voice acting very well. She effectively puts an appropriately juvenile nature into the part while taking the drama of the scenarios very seriously, balancing the comedy and drama of the part appropriately.

Steve Martin's role is enjoyable since his naturally over the top persona leaks into his voice well, even if the character is a little too cheap to live up to a legacy like his. Matt L. Jones is also welcome because his popularity for being in Breaking Bad makes his rusty voice iconic, and therefore puts a fun sense of familiarity into the feature.

So Home has strong production values and a talented cast, but its animation falters due to its repetitive colour scheme as well as 3D effects which are as misplaced as the soundtrack and unfunny script.