Review of The Rescuers (1977) by Curtis H — 27 Oct 2008

After reliving the masterpiece that is The Rescuers Down Under for the first time in over a decade, I decided it was time to dig this one up and see if I still loved it as much as I used to. The funny thing about it, though, is that when I rewatched Down Under, I was already brimming with memories of the film.

I literally remembered NOTHING about this one other then that I used to watch it as a kid. Its clear to me now why this is: this movie is nowhere near as good as its sequel. While its a solid movie and all, there simply aren't enough captivating moments, and at times it feels as if the film needs a swift kick in the nuts just to get it moving again.

But I'll not leave this film totally without compliments; while an overall inferior package, the original Rescuers does have the edge over its sequel in a couple areas. The biggest of these is how Penny is a way better character then her Down Under counterpart, Cody; because we spend more time with her she has more time to reveal herself as a character with depth, something that Cody severely lacked.

There are also a couple of beautiful musical numbers here, something that Down Under was completely without (though I'm actually glad that there were none in that film). Oh yeah, and Medusa is a great villian, though she is a bit too much like Cruella Deville.

So yeah, I guess it was worth watching this one again, but it was defintily way better when I was a kid...