While promising at the start and true to the movie’s energetic pace, the score ultimately falls flat. The animation is nothing new, but it’s not painful. The audience is greeted with a panorama of glistening buildings and vibrant parks before zooming in on numerous apartments and their domesticated denizens. The film did a great job of showcasing its rendition of New York City in the introduction.
If all you saw was the opening, you would be left with the impression that the story, while perhaps overused, would still turn out all right. To be frank, there is not much that stands out as “good” in the film’s 90-minute runtime, but there are things it managed to not do wrong.
It is up to their fellow domesticated pets to save them, as Max and Duke face off against a litany of contrived dangers and largely unmemorable antagonists on their journey to return home before Katie realizes they are gone. However, their rivalry soon pales to the dangers they face when, after getting too far from the local dog walker, the pair find themselves at the mercy of a rogue pet gang, animal control and a questionable sense of direction. It does not take long before the two fight over being top dog in the apartment. Max’s happy life is turned upside down, however, when Katie drags a new dog into their peaceful lives - a giant, furry mutt from the pound named Duke (Eric Stonestreet) who seems all too eager to make himself at home. Adopted by Katie (Ellie Kemper) out of a “free puppies” box and living it up in their New York apartment, Max’s favorite hobby is sitting by the door waiting for her to return home from work. Since he was a puppy, Max the terrier (Louis C.K.) had it all. In what is hopefully the bottom denominator of animated films to come out this year, “The Secret Life of Pets” (SLOP) disappoints with an overabundance of toilet humor and a lack of soul. To anyone making children’s movies, take heed: Having a young target audience does not give you a license to shell out a terrible story. ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ fell short of the promise of its star-studded cast.
0 kommentar(er)
