Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021)

I love animals and I like and follow movies whose plot revolves around them ('Louis Wain' for instance). But this was a downer to me. Nothing is remarkable nor emotional to me in here. After the premise is presented, It all falls flat and short of any expectation. I wanted to like it, but I left the theater without any emotion inside me.

Fmovies: This movie was just what I thought it was going to be. Just like the Clifford books and PBS show it is just as kid friendly and cute like the the show and books were showing.

The acting was fine and I think the actor playing Cliffords owner Emily Elizabeth was trying to give a good performance, sometimes it works but sometimes it's awkward.

The other actors are just silly because its a kids movie and they can be entertained by that, even when there is a big red dog running around.

Clifford was actually cute and lovable with pretty good effects making Clifford looking real, only when there are close ups of Emily Elizabeth riding Clifford it can obviously look like CGI.

But most of the effects work and I found myself liking what they have, even if it is random and made only to entertain kids.

If you like the Clifford the Big Red Dog books and PBS show then you might like this. Overall It was entertaining and surprising when it does something I didn't expect, but it's just a normal kids movie.

LIKES:

The Pace: The books are not the deepest bits of lore, always meant to capture attention with the colorful illustrations and superficial fun. This live adaptation manages to keep that fun going, using the imagery to entertain, while also allowing time to enjoy the simplistic story set before it. There is little dawdling and identity politics in this movie, and instead just trying to give you an adventure with a unique dog and his loving owner. Kids will love the fast paced nature of the film, and parents should be happy that they get out of the movie a bit faster than your typical film. However, it should be noted that the movie also gives time to appreciate aspects of the film, at least to the children's book level quality.

The Story: Clifford's story is certainly simple and fun, and like many movies of the modern era, instilled to teach the younger generation. A few important life lessons are illustrated in the movie and preaching the message we got hit with during the election. Charming, well versed, and presented in a straightforward manner, Clifford's human cast is ready to raise awareness to these issues. Yet, the biggest part of the story I loved was just the core tale of the girl and her love for the dog, and that heartwarming element makes you feel good, assuming you can get past the preachiness of it.

The Comedy, to an extent: Clifford is a kids oriented film, and that means the comedy is following that suit as well. For kids, the antics are most likely going to result in the theater or room erupting in laughter, while for parents there are going to be spare moments of actual laughs. Yet, there are times where the forced line, timing, and the joke itself are funny and will appeal to the more mature palette. The child like nature in my heart also got some laughs out as well and I absolutely felt a third of the movie I chuckled in.

The Cute Factor: It's a family fun film, with the level a 1 or 2 at most for being too much viewers. Clifford's safe waters amplify and rely on you being drawn in by the cute factor, and do not shy away from feeling like the book's they are based on. Puppy antics are the heart of the cuteness, but there are some other things that deserve a nod from me in this film. The neighborhood factor is charming and adorable, giving vibes of Sesame Street that help establish that extended family friends. Emily's relationship with a few of her friends also is wrapped up in a nice little bow, and holds a relevant factor to me, which once again amplifies the awe factor I held for it. Again, it's family friendly aspect that are enjoyable, and I absolutely think this will be a high factor for the intended audience.

The Animation/Dog: The star of the show is actually the one who is not alive, the CGI dog that is Clifford. While he is not the goofy, big eyed dog made famous in the books, the Labrador look suits him well and the puppy element kept in theme with the dog. I fell in love with the design of the puppy, and impressed with the details that they manage to add in this movie. His animation was smooth, the physiology executed perfectly, adding those touches of whines, moans, and barks that the canine animal kingdom thrives in. And yet, they also added a human quality that pets seem to have, helping to give Clifford more character to fall in love with. He was utilized well, for both storytelling and comedy, and the commercialism of him delivered 110% for this reviewer. Kids will fall in love with the titular character, and hopefully

Clifford the Big Red Dog fmovies. Far more enjoyable than I expected it to be, although not anything to cry home about, Clifford the Big Red Dog gets its job done doing what it needs to do. I'll start with the films cons- mainly being the many jokes that don't work and its incredibly generic villain. Yeah its expected to have some corny jokes and some that don't simply work in a movie like this, but its just disappointing to see how in the midst of trying so hard on this film, they still don't realize how it drags the film down in quality. And yeah, the villain is about as forgettable as they come- and honestly a very odd choice. I enjoy Tony Hale as much as the next guy, but he just doesn't work as a villain- let alone someone who is trying to accomplish world hunger, but I guess he just cares about money- but its still such an odd odd choice both casting and writing wise. The film is moderately entertaining throughout and has a very sweet charm to it, even made me tear up a couple of times. Its an incredibly sweet film about friendship and family, and its central message is very well executed in the end. It's not as big as its titular character, but in the end, Clifford the Big Red Dog isn't half bad for an adaptation of a childrens book from nearly 60 years ago. Lets just hope they don't make it into a franchise.

My Rating: 5.6/10.

6/10 - in the same vain as Paramount's earlier live action/CGI adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog, Clifford the Big Red Dog doesn't do anything to reinvent the wheel, but is entertaining enough for kids and nostalgic adults alike.

I'm aware of the books but not familiar with them.

One thing that I thought was odd is not once did I get the feeling that they actually used a real dog for this picture. I don't know if making the dog CGI red possibly effected how real it looked to my eye but I thought it was strange that not at one point did Clifford look real when obviously they had no problem using a real dog.

They got a cute kid to head up the movie. Although sometimes it felt she was not interacting with the fake dog all that well (and kids are supposed to be good at that, right?). This could be the fault of the visual effects. Then again, there was some great stunt work with the CGI dog that contradicts that.

So, the CGI is a very big part of making this dog come to life and yet it's so so. That's not good.

The iffy visuals almost overshadowed an All-star cast (Well All-Star to me). It was a pro to me to go see the film. The online poster stated Rosie Perez was one of the stars of the movie, and I was like cool, but her role was only in one scene and was not even big enough to get into the credits sequence at the end of the movie. That's ok cause Clifford had many other D Listers like Kemon Thompson, Tony Hale, John Cleese and a couple of other actors you may have seen on Saturday Night Live.

Heartwarming Story almost makes you forget they the CGI lacks in some cases, but it really does affect the movie.