Review of Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) by Harry W — 30 Mar 2014

Looney Tunes: Back in Action doesn't meet the standards of previous animated and live action hybrid films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Space Jam, but it still supplies sufficient entertainment for kids and adults alike.

Admittedly, Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a thoroughly flawed film in a lot of areas.

For one things, its jokes feel dated. As the Looney Tunes jokes are essentially a rehash of many of it's older jokes from the TV series and the spin-off movies. And while many of the jokes are pretty funny, there is a very large feeling of familiarity in place of originality in Looney Tunes: Back in Action so the more picky audiences may find that the film is bereft of a lot of originality and inconsistent in being comedically successful.

And Looney Tunes: Back in Action stretches its jokes on for a bit long. There isn't much original humour in the film, and what there is tends to be dragged on for a bit too long. I mean the humour just really isn't inspired, and it makes the 90 minute running time of Looney Tunes: Back in Action feel a lot longer than it actually is, which is odd considering it only ran for 90 minutes. Looney Tunes: Back in Action just fails to live up to the standards of superior Looney Tunes material and better hybrids of live action and animation.

Lastly, Looney Tunes: Back in Action puts too much focus simply on Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck while forgetting about all the other characters. See, at least in Space Jam there was a large group of characters working together while in Looney Tunes: Back in Action the story is carried to the end by Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck while the rest of the cartoon characters are reduced mostly to small cameos. There just really isn't enough of the characters that made Looney Tunes great in Looney Tunes: Back in Action and it could have improved itself by having more, but I found that I missed a lot of them. Road Runner particularly.

But all in all, I did enjoy Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

While the jokes weren't as original as they should have been, enough of them were still funny enough for me to find that Looney Tunes: Back in Action constituted sufficient comedic entertainment. Thanks to all the zany characters that Looney Tunes is iconic for and a dedicated cast of talented actors, the material in Looney Tunes: Back in Action was able to come to life. The ridiculous story is easy to tolerate because it stays within the comedic cartoon roots of the story and goes all over the world, implementing a lot of appealing scenery and a strong production design to add to the quality of the visual experience in Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action is mostly a success from a technical standpoint. As well as boasting some fine scenery and costumes which is all captured well by great cinematography, Looney Tunes: Back in Action implements a lot of entertainment from its hybrid of live action and animation. The visual effects are great and capture a very broad colour palette, and they put all the great Looney Tunes within the universe so perfectly placed that it feels like the most of the potential realism in a story about cartoon characters going on a spy mission into jungles and outer space is harnessed. Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a very colourful venture which is so bright and energetic that it is likely to capture the interests of many of the younger viewers, even if it has less success with the older crowds. And although the story rushes by without much direction from Joe Dante, he does make sure that the technical elements of the film are successful which mostly overshadow the thin writing hidden beneath. The musical score is terrific as well in Jerry Goldsmith's final works, and they make the experience all the more atmospheric and fun without transcending the cartoonish elements of its roots.

All in all, Looney Tunes: Back in Action isn't the most original film, but it has colourful animation to boast a lot of visual appeal and a decent quantity of laughs here and there. And luckily enough, the cast manage to engage with the universe of Looney Tunes: Back in Action so organically that the experience is more entertaining.

Brendan Frasier is the perfect lead for Looney Tunes: Back in Action. As he proved in The Mummy, he can be both a serious dramatic lead and one with his own comedic moments, and as the lead action hero in a live-action animated hybrid with Looney Tunes characters, that is key. His lead performance has him delivering all the goofy comedic lines very well while holding the charisma of a natural action hero very well, as well as interacting with so many animated characters with ease. Brendan Frasier is a great lead in Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

Jenna Elfman also does a good job. As she is the notable sitcom star of Dharma and Greg, she uses the experience to put the same kind of comedic energy into her performance as the female lead of Looney Tunes: Back in Action. She interacts with the fictional animated characters well and shares a great chemistry with Brendan Frasier, so her casting proves to be viable to the success of Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

And Steve Martin is just terrific. As his character is a ridiculous one, he takes the opportunity to go into an over the top form where he puts all his physical acting and comedic line delivery to work so that he is a memorable screen presence. He is a perfect cartoon antagonist, and since Steve Martin is a comedy legend it is awesome that he made an appearance in Looney Tunes: Back in action.

Heather Locklear's cameo appearance was a nice touch as well.

So Looney Tunes: Back in Action isn't the most original film because its jokes are dated and the crowds that will find the most entertainment aren't likely to exceed young ages all that much, but it has many of the characters that made Looney Tunes great and a lot of colourful animation which should hopefully let it transcend its shortcomings for viewers.