Bolt
Bolt
Directed by: Byron Howard, Chris Williams
Cast (voices): John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton
Running Time: 1 hr 30 min
Rating: PG
Plot: This animated movie has Bolt (Travolta) the dog as the star of the biggest television show, but he doesn’t understand that none of it is real. When he believes his television owner, Penny (Cyrus), has been kidnapped, he escapes from his handlers and ends up alone, and without his special effects powers, on the streets of New York.
Who’s It For? Kids who don’t scare easily. It’s mildly enjoyable for adults, but, honestly, it might give young children nightmares.
Expectations: From the previews, I thought I was going to really like this movie. I have a weakness for smart animation with subverted veins of adult humor.
SCORECARD (0-10)
Actors:
John Travolta as Bolt: Travolta does Bolt a lot of justice. He captures the subtler emotions and manages to keep from sounding too over-the-top whenever Bolt is making dramatic declarations about besting evil, saving the day, protecting the world from the green-eyed man, etc. I always appreciate it when a big-name actor takes an animated role seriously.
Score: 6
Miley Cyrus as Penny: I wish I was a teeny-bopper—wait, no I don’t. At least, if I were a youthful, impressionable girl, Cyrus’s raspy, quasi-smoker’s growl would do something for me. Cyrus does a fair job, but there is nothing out of the ordinary about her performance.
Score: 4
Susie Essman as Mittens: Essman really digs deep and brings out her inner cat. The character itself is predictable, but innocuously so, and Mittens does bring a nice jaded spark to the dog & hamster daring duo.
Score: 5
Mark Walton as Rhino: Based on the previews, I was the most excited about the hardcore, kick-ass hamster, Rhino. But ultimately, the character was just okay. The idea of Rhino is extremely funny and the animation is excellent, but Walton hams it up when he should’ve toned it down. Since it’s now an official word in the dictionary: meh.
Score: 4
Talking: The dialogue is strong and the actors, most notably Travolta and Essman, breathe a lot of life and meaning into each word. Like a lot of these types of so-so animated flicks, the side characters end up stealing most the scenes. Like the two cats practicing their evil laugh, or the most brilliant … the trio of West Coast pigeons pitching a movie idea to Bolt. There aren’t enough of those moments, however.
Score: 6
Sights: The effects are phenomenal. They were designed to capture the unique movements and body language of specific types of animals and it does an extremely good job. The pigeons are especially impressive, because the movie mates the voices with the twitchy, birdliness so perfectly. As for the 3D, it wasn’t anything exceptional—I was extremely impressed by Beowulf in 3D, and I barely noticed it in Bolt.
Score: 7
Sounds: The score works for the action scenes, again, without being anything new or interesting. It is your typical “racing the clock/someone in peril” score. John Travolta and Miley Cyrus duet together on the forgettable “I Thought I Lost You.” “Barking at the Moon” by Jenny Lewis is enjoyable and it works well for the traveling montage.
Score: 6
PLOT SPOILERS
Best Scene: There are a lot of exciting action sequences, which, again, might scare the crap out of younger kids. The best scene is a montage where Mittens the cat teaches Bolt how to be a real dog, including, showing him how to fetch a stick, play with other dogs, and enjoy the cool breeze as his head is out the window.
Ending: The climax is predictable as it reads on the page, yet really scary and intense on the big screen. The very ending is appropriately and unsurprisingly coochy-coo.
Questions: Who the heck was their target audience? It’s just okay for adults and, again, it scared the crap out of all the kids.
Rewatchability: Not for grown-ups. I’d say the movie works best for anyone in the age group of 10 to 12, but that’s a pretty narrow margin. It’ll bore an older crowd, and frighten a younger crowd.
OVERALL
The movie stays firmly rooted in average with a couple of amusing scenes and some heartwarming moments—heartwarming as in microwaved, not held aloft over a crackling fire. Whereas Pixar puts a lot of soul into their movies, Bolt feels more like it’s straight off the conveyor belt. The animation is great and the writing is fair, and it never achieves any new level of originality or creativity.
Final Score: 5/10
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Just two cents, but I owe you a comment or two (because of your own feedback)
I thought this movie was amazing. It’s animation was as well constructed as its story, and it’s humor was never focused on a certain age group (it was just FUNNY). Yeah, it might scare kids, but I don’t care. That’s life. Sometimes movies are scary when you don’t expect them. It makes you tough. Or cry. Whatever. Just DON’T kick my f***ing seat!
I wrestled with the thought of where this stood as to WALL-E, but soon realized they could not be compared. WALL-E is at the core an art film, packaged to children, eaten up (no pun intended) by their parents, etc, etc. It is a beautiful film, etc, etc. However, BOLT is just a fantastic animated film, with great characters and an even better story. It’s entertainment, but superb entertainment at that (especially in the vibrant 3D).
I don’t agree that the film felt like it was “straight off the conveyor belt.” This film was almost anything but that, it was always very clever in how it connected its events, (how Bolt and his homies escaped their various perilous situations) and also very intelligent in its action. It was an awesome story about ordinary heroes and it was extremely entertaining, with both grand main characters and hilarious side-characters (which didn’t really steal the scene, just added greatness to them). Even Miley Cyrus was given just the right amount of lines so that she was an important character but not an overbearing LOOK ITS MILEY DOING A MOVIE kind of BS. Yeah, her song with Travolta in the credits was weak. I know.
Most of all, Rhino KICKED ASS. He should have his own Michael Bay-produced spin off co-starring Will Smith. That or at least a side-kick part with the, as you declared, “purdy” Jason Statham in another one of his “The _______ Job” movies.
Whoa there, tiger! And what’s your stand on the War on Terror?
Do NOT mess with the Nickster when it comes to Bolt, because he will EFF YOU UP MOTHER-EFFERS!
Here’s the thing: I could see from a very detached standpoint how Bolt was creative and interesting–it just didn’t tap into anything even remotely deeper with me. I’m not saying that if I were going to compare Bolt and Transporter 3, T3 would best the former in quality or writing–from my perspective, Bolt was hollow, and yes, I’m comparing it to Wall-E and other more, as you put it, artsy representations of animation.
The strange thing is I should’ve LOVED bolt. And I’m noticing that, critically, some people love it and some people share my exact reaction–namely, “shrug.” I came out of Bolt feeling underwhelmed and tired, end of story.
As for the “screw the screaming ankle-biters, I dug it!” it’s a film for kids, you doofus. It scared the crap out of the little girl I was seeing it with, and all the children around me were pie-eyed with terror. It is noteworthy that children–aka the primary demographic–could wet the bed for weeks after seeing Bolt.
“Kids are pansies!” right? When they kick your seat, do you grumble and shake your umbrella at them? “Darn you whippersnappers!” you declare. “You with your underdeveloped pathos and innocent, uncorrupted look at your own sense of reality! Go away before I throw my grumpy old man dentures at you! Derned those kids!”
Oh and one more thing: Jason Statham is purdy. He’s the purdiest bald-headed boy on the block. I want to dress him in fur coats and feather boas and then give him a hearty spanking. I want to take him home to mother and introduce him as Monsieur Bad Ass. I want him to bring me breakfast in bed. I would’ve given Transporter 3 a 5.
Hahaha
I am hoping that we are both too sarcastic to know it. I remember being scared of even movie trailers when I was a wee one, so I can actually sympathize with my pansy pre-school fellow audience members.
And yes I do have grumpy old man dentures. They don’t inflict much pain, though. But they do help me get senior discounts
I’ve decided that a movie with Jason Statham and Rhino wouldn’t be a bad flick. I’ll let you write the screenplay.
And J’s right–
I double-dog dare you to do a he said/she said with me.
Fine. As long as it doesn’t happen when Matlock is on
I’ll bring the strawberry jello and AARP pamphlets.
You crack me right up!