Review: Mr. Peabody & Sherman, or Learning About Time-Killers
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| Zeke Film |
I classify animated films into two categories: 1) time-killers; or 2) works of art. This film, sadly, belongs to the first category.
WHAT IS A TIME-KILLER?
Despite how awesome it may sound (like it's some villain from Doctor Who or something), time-killers do exactly what the name says: they kill time. It's the type of film you watch because there's nothing better to do while waiting for your wife as she gets her nails done.
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| Those Gallifreyan-like markings are probably a Doctor Who shout-out. |
IS IT CALLED A TIME-KILLER BECAUSE THIS FILM IS ABOUT TIME TRAVEL?
What? No. That's just coincidental.
ARE ALL TIME-KILLERS BAD?
No. Bad time-killers are those that make you fall asleep. That would've been a waste of money. Good time-killers are, at the very least, entertaining. So Mr. Peabody & Sherman can be considered an example of a good time-killer.
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| Time travel movies are always good time-killers. |
WHY?
What do you mean? Why what?
WHY IS IT A GOOD TIME-KILLER?
Well, it's entertaining. As soon as you overlook the fact that a talking dog genius and a young boy have an adoptive relationship, that is.
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| Time traveling can be considered father-son bonding time. |
Also, it has time travel. It mentions the time travel doctrine of not being able to go back to a time when you existed. You always have to go back further than your date of birth to avoid a paradox.
WHAT WERE THE FILM'S STRENGTHS?
I liked the animation. DreamWorks is a key player in computer animation today. In terms of technical achievement, that is. Story-wise, it's still Pixar in my book, although Disney's Frozen seems to have shaken things up a bit.
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| "Another Disney Renaissance?" <collective gasp> |
I also loved the character designs. And Ty Burrell's puns. It's so Modern Family. I also loved how the two subplots developed.
WHAT SUBPLOTS WERE THESE?
The first is the enemies-turned-lovers subplot between Sherman and that bully Penny. Eyeliner + eyeglasses = ♥. The other one is the father-son subplot between Sherman and his adoptive canine father Mr. Peabody. That "I'm a dog" bit almost got me teary-eyed.
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| He had her at this scene. |
WHAT WERE THE FILM'S WEAKNESSES?
The film's story is probably its weakest link. But it's entertainment. This is not a history lesson nor a BBC documentary.
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| For consolation, here's a photo of the real Mona Lisa. |
Mr. Peabody & Sherman. USA. 2014.
Original rating: 6.5 / 10
Ty Burrell's puns: + 0.2
Ty Burrell's voice: - 0.1
Character designs: + 0.1
Homage to Doctor Who (I think): + 0.1
"I'm Spartacus": + 0.1
Final rating: 6.9 / 10
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