A movie called Space Chimps ought to be cheap, crude and silly, and this computer-animated lark delivers on all fronts.
Space Chimps (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:89
Fresh:33
Rotten:56
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: Space Chimps' cheap animation and overabundance of monkey puns feels especially dated in a post-Wall-E world.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Sep 4, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $29,942,542
Synopsis: Circus monkey Ham III (voiced by Andy Samberg) works in a circus where he's regularly shot from a canon but he still lives in the shadow of his father's legacy (Ham I was the first chimp shot into... Circus monkey Ham III (voiced by Andy Samberg) works in a circus where he's regularly shot from a canon but he still lives in the shadow of his father's legacy (Ham I was the first chimp shot into space in 1961). A natural born rebel against authority, Ham the third is initially reluctant to go on a dangerous space mission to rescue a lost space probe, but away he goes, for lots of RIGHT STUFF-style astro-training alongside two highly prepared chimps, Luna and Titan (Cheryl Hines and Patrick Warburton). NASA's by-the-book methods jar with Ham's mischief-making of course, but once the space training ends, the mission begins, with myriad dangers along the way, including: a big-toothed monster and a run amok alien named Zartog (Jeff Daniels) whose harnessed the previous space probe for world-domination purposes, all good opportunities for Ham III to redeem himself. Despite all the fangs, parents shouldn't worry too much; not a hair on any chimp is seriously singed, and along the pratfall strewn way there's time for lessons about responsibility and realization of one's full potential. While the animation here is not quite up to Pixar level, it's still pretty and colorful, with a pleasing Candyland quality to the alien planet surface. Samberg brings a savvy zest to his vocal duties as the Ham, Stanley Tucci is a nefarious senator and--getting big laughs with flawlessly deadpan elan--Patrick Breen as one of the trio of egghead scientists. Kird De Micco directed; based on the computer video game. [More]
Starring: Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Daniels, Patrick Warburton
Starring: Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Daniels, Patrick Warburton, Kristin Chenoweth, Stanley Tucci, Omid Abtahi, Patrick Breen, Kenan Thompson, Carlos Alazraqui, Kath Soucie, Jane Lynch
Director: Kirk De Micco
Director: Kirk De Micco
Screenwriter: Kirk De Micco, Rob Moreland
Story: Kirk De Micco
Producer: John H. Williams, Barry Sonnenfeld
Composer: Chris Bacon
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Space Chimps
There is genuine sparkle in the voice work and more than a few jokes that really do hit the sweet spot.
A sexual metaphor about penises and a scene where a character is eaten by a creature and escapes death by exiting its anus is so inappropriate that the MPAA must have been asleep when they rated this G.
Space Chimps is delightful from beginning to end: A goofy space opera.
The animation lacks depth, and the only striking element is the Teletubbies-on-acid color scheme.
You won't go ape over 'Space Chimps.' But it won't hurt your kids to monkey around with this for 90 minutes.
It'll keep the kids entertained for a while and give their parents a chuckle or two along the way.
The film's creators haven't learned the Pixar strategy of creating a resonant story as the foundation of a film. So we get a formulaic tale of a lazy nonconformist who learns to take his responsibilities seriously and saves the day.
Ham is cocky, insulting and irresponsible. In other words, if you were looking for a break from your misbehaving kids by taking them to the theater, you won't get one.
When it comes to chimps and space, Stanley Kubrick pretty much covered the topic.
Entertaining, nicely animated and frequently funny family adventure with superb vocal performances and an extremely witty script.
I have to admit, there’s a sort of dopey, cute, harmless charm to this movie. It actually doesn’t stink.
Up against WALL-E and Kung Fu Panda this CGI 'toon looks flat and unoriginal. Who's trying to ape Pixar?
Unfortunately, the film-makers assume that pre-adolescent audiences will only identify with a smug, hyperactive central character such as the Andy Samburg-voiced Ham. Still, it’s remarkable that they managed to smuggle an oral sex joke into a U-rated film
So, as our badly animated apes are sent to an alien planet for dull-as-ditchwater adventures with a population of little green men, the film doesn’t just stoop in pursuit of a buck, it shimmies beneath the bar to record a new low.
The film is pacy, full of humour rather than thrills and not too long. Not for connoisseurs of animation but fun for the young.
The beauty of this rather conventional, kiddy adventure is that it revels in not taking anything seriously. The script is peppered with stupid physical comedy, silly puns and dry witticisms on the concepts of space and monkeys.
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