Looney Tunes: Back in Action DVD Review:

D.J. (Fraser) isn’t having a good day. He has just being fired from his security job at the Warner Bros. Studios by new executive Kate (Elfman) after destroying half the backlot trying to eject Daffy Duck from the premises, only to return home to find out that his film star father Damien Drake (Dalton) has been kidnapped. His abductor is none other than the chairman of the Acme Corporation (Martin), who needs Drake to give him the location of the Blue Monkey Diamond, an artefact so powerful it can actually change men into monkeys. So it is up to D.J. to find the diamond to save his father, the problem is that Daffy insists on helping.

The Looney Tunes burst back onto the big screen with a very kid friendly adventure. The only problem is that the adults won’t be laughing as much as they should have been.

Nearly every generation in western society must have seen a Looney Tunes short. All of us have grown up laughing at the five minute adventures of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Roadrunner, Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig and the rest of the gang, so an audience was already there and all new one was waiting to embrace these classic characters. It’s just a shame that the screenwriters didn’t think about the older generation when they wrote the script.

There is a lot of nostalgia here as classic characters like Wile E. Coyote, Marvin the Martian and Yosemite Sam have hilarious, scene stealing cameos but it is the human element of the story that completely ruins the film for the older viewer. Steve Martin’s Mr Chairman is sheer pantomime and totally annoying to anyone over the age of twelve. His performance is completely over the top and far too grandiose and attention seeking that is totally ruins the picture for the older viewer. While some may argue that making him this un-likeable might have being a conscious decision by the writers to make him a hiss-worthy villain, they have only succeeded in making him instantly detestable to everyone but their key demographic, the under 12s. Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman and Timothy Dalton’s characters are so two-dimensional they could be cartoon characters themselves. This is a real shame as both Fraser and Elfman are gifted comedic actors but Timothy Dalton desperately needs to sort out his career.

The human characters play second fiddle to our Looney Tune friends however and this is how it should be. Daffy Duck steals the show in his usual manic style and fans of the hapless duck will rejoice when their hero dons his Duck Dodgers outfit. Bugs Bunny is his usual confident self, turning situations to his own advantage with his quick wit and of course dressing up as a girl bunny. Look out for Looney Tune cameos from all your favourites including Roadrunner, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn and Speedy Gonzalez.

The main problem of the movie is that it doesn’t strike a happy balance between adult and child fun to make a great family movie. The older generation needs to enjoy the movie just as much as the kids for everyone to have a good time but Looney Tunes: Back in Action has far too many cringe worthy moments to appeal wholeheartedly to adults. This is a real shame especially when the director is Joe Dante who has succeeded in doing this so many times before with films like Gremlins, Explorers and Inner Space.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a lot of fun for anyone under the age of twelve. Adults will enjoy seeing some of their childhood favourites on the big screen again but the annoying human characters and the lacklustre story won’t make this the most hysterical ninety minutes of your life. It you want to introduce a new generation to these classic characters let them watch the original five-minute gems.

Star Rating = * * * (for Kids) * * (for adults)

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, this is a very good transfer. The sharp picture highlights the excellent animation of your favourite Looney Tunes stars. The sound is also very good, especially during the climatic jungle sequence.

BONUS FEATURES

Behind the Tunes (8.46 mins)

Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny take you behind the scenes of Looney Tunes: Back in Action. They talk to director Joe Dante, production designer Bill Brzeski, transportation coordinator Randy White, animation director Eric Goldberg and stars Brendan Fraser and Jenna Elfman about their new big screen adventure.

Bang, Crash, Boom (7.25 mins)

Daffy and Bugs take you behind the scenes of how the special effects were put together for the movie. With the help of visual effects supervisor Chris Watts, the pair try and explain how animation and live action mixed so seamlessly on screen.

Looney Tunes Out of Action: Best scenes you’ve never seen (10.36 mins)

Daffy and Bugs introduce seven deleted scenes entitled “Alternative opening”, “Kate & DJ”, “”Area 52”, “Eiffel Tower”, “The other side of Kate”, “ACME Boardroom” and “Alternative ending”. Bugs then has a little fun and presents a montage of Daffy’s deleted scenes.

Whizzard of Ow (6.51 mins)

A brand new Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote animated short with really captures the spirit of the original Looney Tunes.

Theatrical Trailer (1.24 mins)

The teaser trailer for the movie

Looney Tunes Collection Trailer (1.15 mins)

An advertisement for the first release of the classic animated shorts on DVD

DVD ROM Content
Play games and have fun with your favourite Looney Tunes characters

Warner Bros always do a great job presenting their movie but never really apply themselves to producing a good set of extras. While this maybe a family movie it doesn’t mean to say that the extras don’t have to be extensive. What you get is two short behind the scenes featurettes and a few deleted scenes. If ever there was a film crying out for a commentary track it was this. Imagine a Looney Tunes commentary that would be worth a purchase alone. The inclusion of the “Whizzard of Ow” is a welcome addition however but there is still not enough here to satisfy the fans or even the kids.

DVD Star Rating = * *

Jamie Kelwick

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