Dolittle (2020) Review

Dolittle (2020) Review

 With this being Robert Downey Jnr's first project since leaving the role of Iron Man I had some intrigue in seeing this film and I now have and this is my review for Dolittle. The premise of the film sees an eccentric doctor who can talk to animals dragged on a journey by a young boy in order to save a persons life. 

Main Character

As mentioned Robert Downey Jnr plays the lead in this film and I think he does an okay job in this film, he still has quite a bit of charm and charisma about him and there is a bit of an emotional arc his character has to go through in the film that does work. However, I felt like his accent really didn't fit this character and made him a bit difficult to understand at times also honestly throughout the film he isn't the most likeable character in my opinion and I did at times find it difficult to root for him and care about his character. 

Supporting Characters

Out Of all the animals there was really only one I grew to really like and that was Rami Malek as the Gorilla Chee - Chee, he was very loveable and charming and I actually enjoyed watching his character develop throughout the film, it was probably the most enjoyable part of the film. Antonio Banderas also has a fun role in the film and I liked his character in the film and his fun interactions with Downey Jnr. However, I never really grew to care about any of the other animals in the film even though they are voiced by some big Hollywood actors such as Emma Thompson, Tom Holland & John Cena. Also the boy that accompanies Dolittle isn't particularly good and doesn't provide a strong performance in the film but that is probably due to the weak script that is given. 

Story

The story has a few characters go through interesting development in the film such as Dolittle and Chee-Chee which just about gives this subject the benefit of the doubt. But this film has a very predictable and boring plot, there are no curveballs and no interesting plot twists to invest the viewer and is just a simple journey to watch.

Script

As I said earlier the script is really weak in this film, there are a few chuckle worthy moments but the majority of it fails to land and the drama just doesn't work aswell as it truly could and that is because of the clear aim at pleasing children which weakens this film. 

Style

The film has some vibrant colours and is definitley pleasing on the eye to look at, with some impressive set pieces in it aswell. But I felt like the tone of the film was a bit all over the place, every time the film tried something dramatic it ruined it by putting in an unneccessary joke that just totally ruins the dramatic moment.

Overall

This film was pretty much what I expected, a below average colourful film that could be a good time for families but as a film it isn't particularly good and isn't worth a watch unless you are trying to entertain the children.

Rating - 4/10