Furry Vengeance

Synopsis: Forest animals go to war against a land developer who threatens their habitat.

Release Date: April 30, 2010     MPAA Rating: PG-13

Genre(s): Children and Family, Comedy

Film Review

Every film aimed at children must have a good moral at its core. “Furry Vengeance” achieves this without question. The entire film though is not the greatest. Dan (Fraser) works for a large conglomerate housing developer who wants everyone to believe he runs a green business. When said developer decides to demolish most of the Rocky Springs forest to build a super community the greenness of the company quickly diminishes. Luckily, a very smart raccoon inhabits Rocky Springs and with the help of a few of his forest friends this development will never happen. Unfortunately, it is Dan who takes the brunt of the punishment. The movie starts out with much promise. It is entertaining for both children and adults, has a definitive message of preserving nature, and even shows the importance of honesty in business. It is only as the film continues that the steam is lost. Too much time is spent on the animals torturing Dan and driving him practically insane to really developing anything. There are no real arcs in the story or any type of climactic moments. It simply moves along on a straight and narrow path leaving the viewer dazed and by the end, inattentive.

When using real animals, animatronics, and computer generated images the ability to make them all appear the same to the viewer is imperative. In this film not enough time was spent to blend the different methods together and it is blatantly obvious. Watching a room full of forest animals run amuck is amusing but when you see how unrealistic they look you are immediately taken out of the scene and the suspension of belief is lost for the viewer. If you are expecting the animals to appear cute and cuddly you will be disappointed. For all the way the effects fail they do excel at making the animals truer to life. The raccoon is a raccoon, the bear a bear, and the skunks actual skunks. It is only when the script calls for them to perform out of their natural habitat that the effects elude believability. It is for the sake of the comedy but no matter how hard you are laughing your eyes still see the poor execution.

Brendan Fraser (Dan) is an incredibly brave actor. He battles the furry critters in this movie to the audiences comedic delight. Enduring almost lethal bee stings, skunks gone mad with a bathtub of tomato juice, and even dons a woman’s sweatsuit that will have you laughing uncontrollably. It is his comedic timing that shines as he battles the forest inhabitants and there is no denying he works well with the animals. The comedy may be childish in nature but this is essentially a children’s film so it works perfectly.

Cast and Crew

• Director(s): Roger Kumble
• Producer(s): Michael CarnesJosh GilbertBrendan Fraser (Dan Sanders)
• Screenwriter(s): Brooke Shields (Tammy Sanders)Matt Prokop (Tyler Sanders)Ken Jeong (Neal Lyman)
• Story: 
• Cast:  Lawrence JordanPeter Lyons CollisterStephen Lineweaver
• Editor(s): Alexandra Welker
• Cinematographer: Edward Shearmur
• Production Designer(s):
• Costume Designer: 
• Casting Director(s): 
• Music Score: 
• Music Performed By: Furious FX
• Country Of Origin: USAUnited Arab Emirates