Bolt
Directed by Byron Howard and Chris Williams.
Starring John Travolta and Miley Cyrus.
Don't get me wrong — I loved this movie. It made me laugh and it made me cry and damn it, if my landlords would let me have a pet, I would have a hamster called Rhino inside a hamster ball!
When I first, um, let's say 'acquired' Bolt, I was expecting the usual kids' movie that gets churned out by Disney. You know, girl meets dog. Dog loves girl. Girl gets in trouble. Dog saves girl. Dinosaur eats dog. Disney inherits the earth. Or something like that. So once the girl picks the only different dog in the pet shop and of course, they fall instantly in love — he doesn't even try and bite her! — I was already settled in for the 'dog saves girl' part and then the end credits.
However, the action sequence begins and our girl, Penny, gets a phone call from her father, who we discover has been kidnapped by none other than the villainous villain the 'green-eyed man'. We quickly discover that Bolt, her beloved pet dog, has been genetically altered and will be able to protect her. What follows is a seven-minute action sequence that is quite predictable. We see Bolt's superpowers, from super strength, laser beam eyes and a super bark, and he saves the day. I was ready for the movie to end, until he was carried into his trailer and, gasp, I learn he's a fricken actor!
This is where the real story starts. The audience discovers that to make sure Bolt's acting looks real on-screen, he does not know he is in a television show. Through a series of crazy events, he ends up tied to Mittens the cat and is sent across the US continent to New York, when he should be safe at home in his trailer in Hollywood. What follows is a twisted rendition of Homeward Bound, where our misguided hero, with Mittens and Rhino the hamster come up against a number of trials.
I won't tell you how it ends — you'll need to watch it for yourself. But I'll give props to the writers for touching the heartstrings in relation to abandoned animals and the evils of styrofoam. Double props also go to Rhino. Like I said, I WANT ONE!
Look out for: Pigeons — those things are EVERYWHERE.
Avoid: The travelling montage — it really is quite corny and we've seen it all before.
4½/5 stars
Anon
