The whole animal
puppeteering (or CGI) is cool, the voice casting is magnificent, and Robert
Downey Jr. as Dr. Dolittle is eye-catching with his eccentric behavior. Now,
that's the end of the positives because, other than that, the whole movie is a
letdown. The story is chaotic, and if you remember how well put together Eddie
Murphy’s Doctor
Dolittle (1998) was, you’ll instantly dislike this.
Made primarily
for younger children, you might wonder how the movie expected to make its money
back with such a huge budget and a bad story. The movie includes some slight
commentary, which can be irritating to adults but might be important for
children because of how the plot jumps from one thing to another. Honestly, it
felt like the writers themselves had attention deficit disorder.
With a runtime
of about ninety minutes—short compared to most movies these days—the writing
still made it feel much longer. I found myself just waiting for them to get to
the fruit already so we could wrap things up.
Based on Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting, this version introduces Dolittle as a doctor who can speak to animals. Like the Doctor Dolittle (1998) adaptation, he isn’t a veterinarian; he just has the gift. In this 2020 adaptation, Dolittle used to be adventurous, spending his time helping others. His adventures even led him to meet his wife, someone he loved deeply. He helped so many people that the Queen gifted him a huge home where he could live with his animals.
However, when
his wife died during one of her adventures, Dolittle shut himself off from the
world and became a reclusive man who only spent time with his animals.
Meanwhile, a
young animal lover named Tommy was out hunting with his father and brother. Not
wanting to shoot a duck, he fired into the air and accidentally hit a flying
squirrel. His father handed him a knife to kill the squirrel, but Tommy spared
its life. At that moment, a parrot squawked at him to follow her. Tommy obeyed,
and the parrot led him to Dolittle’s home. There, he met Princess Rose, who had
come to Dolittle’s house with orders from the Queen.
Both of them
entered the house. Dolittle saved the squirrel’s life, and Rose informed him
that the Queen was gravely ill and near death. Reluctantly, Dolittle visited
the Queen and discovered she was indeed unwell, and only a mystical fruit could
save her.
With Tommy now
his apprentice, Dolittle set off on a sea journey to find the fruit and save
the Queen.
This movie is
one of those you’re better off skipping than watching.
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