Norm of the North (2016) User Reviews

Norm of the no worth!

[Reno-Rangan · 2/10 · 24 June 2017]

Surely my review would annoy those who liked it. But the majority of who saw it was felt just like me. It has been 20 years since the first 3D animated feature film came. Not all the films released in this period were great. Some were technically sounded good and some were stories. If you had seen 'Hoodwinked!', you would know how awesome that story was, despite the poor animation production. But this film failed in all the department.

I recently finished watching the first season of 'Trollhunters' and 'Miraculous Ladybug'. Even the television made products were much better than this film. Small budget, small production house et cetera is not an excuse. Thankfully, this is not the only bad animated feature I've seen so far in my life, but sadly it joins the list of those titles.

Maybe! The little kids could enjoy it, who does not know to differentiate between good and bad. But for the adults, this is definitely skippable film. The best thing about this film was the message it carried, though, even for an animated film and a fantasy film, not convincing enough. It was kind of very similar to 'Delhi Safari'. In some perspective, I thought it was a remake of that. There are lots of other films similar to this like 'Chole & Theo', 'Happy Feet' and so on that you can try them instead.

2/10

Makes you wish for global warming

[ilya-18 · 2/10 · 3 June 2017]

Any review containing the words 'awful', 'bad', 'horrid', 'abysmal' could be considered a spoiler. I didn't give this movie a 1 because that would imply that it has some entertainment value based on its awfulness. Alas! It doesn't.

My 10yo was able to discern that it was an awful movie; although 7 year-olds found it tolerable.

Rob Schneider is just as unbearable (no pun intended) as a bear as he's as a human actor.

Interesting

[randomstickman · 3/10 · 12 June 2017]

Very entertaining. Contains huge plot holes, lots of unfunny humor, useless characters, ... everything about it is wrong, except maybe for one joke. So while the movie is very badly made, at least it's not boring, so you get some entertainment out of it. Give it as a prank gift maybe, but if your children are over ten years old and you expect them to take it seriously it might not work out so well.

Beary bad

[alan-c-edwards · 1/10 · 10 March 2017]

Norm of the North is painfully bad, with stilted dialogue and a palpable sense throughout that the writers were struggling to fill up 90 minutes. It seems to operate on the premise that animation, cute madcap antics by furry animals and an inspiration-ish story line are enough to make a good movie. The product is the very definition of "mailing it in", and by the end I felt that the producer must have had actual contempt for the viewers. Awful.

The antichrist of animation

[l-62911 · 1/10 · 28 December 2016]

Good lord.... god almighty.

Words cannot describe this heinous disaster that Lionsgate have given us.

I can't imagine what the producers were even thinking.

Were they laughing in our faces when they sneaked it into the theatres?

Or were they crying in shame at what they had just made?

Chances are it's the first answer.

I just can't explain how bad this so called "animated comedy" is.

First of all, there is no comedy.

No gags.

No jokes.

No nothing.

Just a bunch of miserable unfunny things going on that the writers call "funny". Not even Tommy Cooper would be laughing at anything this film has to offer.

Then there isn't a plot to be found.

Well actually I lied, there is a plot somewhere. But once you dig deep into the surface like Nicolas Cage going insane over a decades old bike, you'll find it's a plot you've seen before. (Case in point Madagascar, one of the films you should instead watch)

There isn't any animation here either.

Well again there is but it's straight to DVD quality. Everyone moves jerky, the art style feels lame, the colour palate is typical. This "thing" certainly won't be giving any other straight to DVD animated films nightmares anytime soon.

There isn't any characters, just walking dead lifeless fossils doing things. And nearly all of them are annoying as the heavens above.

No voices too. What we got is constant shouting, yelling and pain from these actors.

Rob Schenider should know better than to keep putting his name on stuff like this. Ken Jeong is as grating as he's ever been and I didn't give two craps about anyone else.

And how dare they waste Bill Nighy too?

Charlie Adler, Jess Harnell and a couple other well-known voice-actors are there too but even this film isn't one of their finest hours.

Hold on, why did I just call it a film?

It isn't one.

It's a humorous black hole that'll suck the life out of you and your family if you dare watch it.

It's the antichrist of animation, a disaster so unbearable, you'll might even die of horror watching the bloody thing.

And the fact it's produced by the same person who did Superted (Mike Young) just terrifies me to almost no end.

Just how did he put his name onto this?

Just how?

Even the voice directing feels non-existent and when it's got Buster Bunny (Charlie Adler) and Oshawott (Lisa Ortiz) trying their best yet it still isn't there, you deserve all the scorn your film gets.

I hope you're happy Splash Entertainment and Lionsgate.

I really hope you are.

Annoying and Stupid

[dmartinez-52655 · 1/10 · 27 February 2017]

WOW this movie was a total piece of of trash to watch! You would expect the animation and voice acting to be impressive and worth something, NOPE! The movie's "Plot" at the beginning, felt similar to Happy Feet with a Polar Bear named Norm (Rob Schneider) who wants to dance and be free from everyone else then things get bizarre with him leaving to the big city to become famous and live a new life, that is just redundant.

we meet annoying and odd characters played by Heather Graham (Vear) and Ken Jeong and we are greeted to Mr. Greene (Ken Jeong) a businessman who wants to convince Norm to start homes in the...Arctic. Who wants to live in the South Pole? This movie is also filled with weird lemmings that literally rip-off the Minions with their squeaky voices and annoying movement that work for Mr. Greene, for a entrepreneur that is pretty stupid of workers Blah, Blah, Blah more ridiculous plot and Greene is defeated and it ends with some dumb dance party

Norm Of The North is a awful and badly made film, and i am right! The animation SUCKS and is bouncy, spastic, and dull, with reusable character designs. The Story makes no Damn sense with ridiculous cheap clichés and jokes you can see in other animated movies. The acting is cringe worthy with Rob Schneider sticking to being a minority in Adam Sandler films than a polar bear. Most of the music and soundtrack is some cheap music you can get off from some random website. This movie is a broken, cheap, and a queasy mess that deserves no recognition.

Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad

[biggahoolefan · 1/10 · 26 November 2016]

I didn't even have to watch this movie to know that it's bad, but I borrowed it from someone who will remain nameless. I don't even need to talk about the horrible predictable story, the amateur animation that my two-year-old niece could do a better job at, and the idiotic characters that are about as fun as watching paint dry.

(Actually, watching paint dry would be a lot more fun.)

It doesn't even deserve one star. I don't get how anyone can watch this movie and say it deserves the Oscar for Best Animated movie (and i did see that in one review). Did they even WATCH it? Nobody with the IQ of a stegosaurus would give this movie a higher grade than a 2/10. Rob Schneider needs to distance himself from this movie, which will (hopefully) be forgotten by the Sands of Time. Even Strange Magic was better, and that was also an awful movie.

And why why why why why why did they have to use all those ridiculous songs?????

One major plot of the story is the fact that developers want to build condos in the coldest place on Earth! Why would ANYbody be so stupid as to want a condo in the Arctic???

The so-called comic relief called the lemmings (minions rip-offs) literally pee everywhere. Not pleasant.

And the movie doesn't even bother to explain how Norm can talk with humans.

And don't even get me started on the incredibly worse-than-amateurish animation...

Don't waste your time with this awful movie. I wasted 80+ minutes of my life that I wish I could have back.

Yikes was that a waste of time

[shormel-87266 · 1/10 · 18 June 2017]

I watched because looked cute and some reviews said hilarious, 2 kids 12 & 15, wife I never cracked a smile. Seemed like someone thought about how they could cash in on Madagascar & Minions popularity. Plot is very thin and too much doesn't make sense. I like Rob Schneider and Heather Graham but wonder if it is actually the Rob Schneider from SNL. He is funny, his character was not at all. I really wanted to like this but it was pretty lame. I think people rating it so high either have a stake in the movie or a relative. Best part of the movie was the cover.

Could not believe my eyes

[ntomi26 · 1/10 · 14 May 2018]

I have seen some stuff over the years but this one has got to be the most cheap sluggish tastless ugly stupid annoying silly peace of crap I have ever seen on a screen in my entire life. The kind of people who make these kind if things... I dont even know. I am so upset and sad.

An excellent family movie.

[touristica-83924 · 10/10 · 28 January 2016]

Norm (Rob Schneider) the polar bear doesn't know how to hunt, but he does possess the unique ability to talk to humans. When the wealthy Mr. Greene (Ken Jeong) unveils his idea to build luxury condos in the Arctic, Norm realizes that his beloved home is in jeopardy. Accompanied by three mischievous lemmings, Norm stows away on a ship to New York. Once there, he meets a surprising ally (Maya Kay) who helps him hatch a scheme to sabotage the shady developer's plans.

Norm of the North is truly an excellent movie you should not miss.It will undoubtedly please the majority of audience because it is impressively funny from the beginning till the end.

A Kids Movie with a Message

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 7/10 · 9 May 2016]

Don't look at the box art for this film and think it's going to be a heavy handed movie dealing with climate change or a light hearted romp through New York. Sure it will take on the topic in a subtle manner but it does so in such a way as to not offend one side of the topic and make the point for the other. The end result is a fun movie for kids that will make them realize we have to treat this planet with respect while at the same time not insult people who feel there is no cause for panic yet.

Norm is a polar bear with a problem. The son of the polar bear king at the North Pole he can't seem to act like the rest of the bears. First off he can't catch anything he hunts for and secondly he can talk. Not just bear talk but talk so that humans can understand him, a trait only his missing grandfather shared. This comes in handy as the north is fast becoming a tourist attraction with humans flocking to see the animals in their "natural" habitat. I say "natural" because animals like Norm's brother realize they can get things from humans like food if they act the way the humans expect them to.

Things take a turn for the worse when a land developer decides to start building vacation homes at the north. A future with tons of people everywhere and a land covered in these homes would be devastating to the wildlife there and take away their ability to live their lives as they're supposed to. Norm realizes this and sets out to stop it. To do so he stows away on one of the model houses after a commercial shoot there uses footage of him.

The house, and Norm, arrive in New York City and he tracks down the main office of the company intent on building the homes. The company is run by Mr. Greene, a devious manipulator with dreams of vast fortunes at any costs. Working for him is Vera, a woman who longs to have her bright child Olympia attend a prestigious school. Mr. Greene, a graduate of the school, has promised to help her in this cause once the homes have been built. Norm arrives at their offices just as they are auditioning actors to pose as the polar bear that Vera filmed on location, namely Norm.

Norm does get the job and everyone thinks he's really an actor in a polar bear suit. He becomes a star around the office and rather than get the chance to make his case for not building the homes the footage is manipulated to make it appear just the opposite. With the help of Olympia, who knows the truth and doesn't want to see the north ruined, Norms sets out to stop Mr. Greene.

So is the movie any good? Yes it is. It entertains on a number of levels and gets the message across that we don't need to spread ourselves everywhere on the planet at the costs of the animals living there. Not only that, it does so in a non-offensive manner as well. While the voice talents include Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong and Gabriel Iglesias, and all do well, I often have a hard time trying to credit the actors when the film is animated. That being said they do a pretty good job here.

The only negative I can offer here is in the animation and honestly it's not a terrible thing. Being exposed to so many great animated sequences and films from Pixar, the premier studio in the field, you find yourself comparing any other feature made to that gold standard. NORM does a good job but is just slightly off in ways that are hard to describe. That being said it really wasn't distracting and kids won't notice. It's nice to see another studio making the attempt.

The best thing to be found in the film is the comic relief and that's supplied by the lemmings. The furry little rodents steal the show from Norm much like the Minions stole the thunder from Gru in the DESPICABLE ME movies. Depicted here as indestructible they offer the most hilarious moments as Norm's companions at home and on his adventure. And just like the Minions they never talk but just rattle on.

On the whole this movie is a fun outing that the whole family can enjoy. It also opens the door to talk to kids about protecting the environment without being preachy or taking aim at anyone who feels the ways to do so are up for discussion. Rather than say the science is closed it says let's talk about this and see what kind of solution we can come up with. For me at least this seems like a responsible way to let kids know and hopefully will help them grow up to find solutions rather than focus on who to blame

Norm of the North: THE WORST MOVIE EVER MADE!?

[martinezr-11775 · 1/10 · 9 July 2017]

Why? WHY?? WHY??? What was LionsGate thinking?? Clearly they were high when they thought of making this film. I'm not kidding, the movie is notorious! It even got a 2/10 review!! Norm, the main character, tries to protect his homeland. The arctic. But Norm...BOY There's SO MANY LEVELS OF WRONG WHEN IT COMES TO HIM. Like the number 1 problem that makes me cringe is his dance. He twerks. O_O. Speechless. ABSOLUTE SPEECHLESS! There's a scene where he has a mp3 player and FREAKING SHAKES HIS BUTT IN FRONT OF THE SCREEN!!! NO ONE WANTS TO SEE THAT!!! HE CALLS IT, THE FREAKING "ARTIC SHAKE!!! HE ALSO TWERKED IN ONCE SCENE WERE NORM WAS DANCING IN FRONT OF THESE ANIMALS!!! Clearly LionsGate was high when they made those scenes. Some people like his butt shake, but I digress. THIS IS THE WORST MOVIE EVER MADE BY MAN KIND!!!!!

Worst Movie Ever

[marshmallowslayer · 1/10 · 10 June 2017]

"Norm of the North" to me looked like a nice, fun family movie, but when I watched it, it was full of total garbage. If I had to, I wouldn't even give it a rating. It was so bad. The lemmings (rip-offs of minions) are so annoying, they pee everywhere and are very disgusting. The movie was poorly animated and very boring. This movie has some gay jokes, which aren't appropriate for a pg film.

A disgrace to animation

[TheLittleSongbird · 1/10 · 5 June 2016]

'Norm of the North' is not quite the worst animated film ever, and there are worse films overall out there as well. This is saying little, because 'Norm of the North' is down there as one of the worst animated films in existence and it's a disgrace to animation, it's that bad.

From the looks of the undeservedly high number of useful votes for the mostly poorly written (since when are plot summaries, repetition and hardly any reasoning enough to warrant one useful vote, let alone 100+) and useless positive user reviews, which have been proved to be fraudulent and most likely the work of one person or a small group of people using multiple accounts, this is not going to be a popular review despite being an honest and hopefully constructively critical one. This is not being ignorant, they have been violating, or at least close to doing so, IMDb's Terms and Conditions for two and a half years now, and it is disgusting that they are contributing towards destroying the credibility of a good site and it has been proved that deleting of reviews or de-authenticating/deleting their accounts is not enough to stop them doing it again and escalating, which is what has happened. If there are people who genuinely like/dislike a film that's fine by me, as long as the reviews are worth reading which means summing up strengths and faults thoughtfully and maturely without resorting to insults, inventing conspiracy theories or taking the "I'm right, you're wrong" attitude, which for some films IMDb reviews are solely lacking in at the moment.

Back to 'Norm of the North' and summing up all that's wrong with it, it is very poorly animated and wouldn't even pass muster quality-wise for CGI animation ten plus years ago. The colours are flat, the backgrounds are sparse in detail and lack fluidity and the character designs especially the titular character are ugly in design and stiff in movement. There is nothing memorable in the music, and it's intrusive, often annoying and doesn't fit the scene. 'Norm of the Norm' fares even worse in the writing department.

There is not a single good line of dialogue, joke or gag. The dialogue completely lacks wit and has no natural flow or rhythm, constantly sounding disjointed. The jokes are very forced and limply timed, with a complete lack of originality and maturity. Similarly the gags are childish and unfunny with unimaginative visuals. If one has to pick the worst asset to 'Norm of the North' it is the story which is a complete shambles. There is a distinct lack of charm, fun or heart, everything just reeks of cheap, it's paced erratically with a leaden pace and a jumpy structure. With the jumpy story structure coupled with parts feeling incomplete and a very confused tone that borders on the heavy-handed, the story is not always easy to follow, and is often incoherent even. Target audience is a real issue, children will find it too complicated, adults will find it stupid and simplistic and with little of interest. The message is a good one and is well-intended but badly ruined by being delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The dance sequences are random, out of place and scream of incompleteness.

Some have said the characters have some likability. Not to me, to me their personalities were not engaging or in depth (wasn't expecting complexity or three-dimensionality, but was expecting to be able to care for the characters) enough and some grated on the nerves actually. Some have also said about the lemmings being scene stealers, with comparisons to the Minions from the 'Despicable Me' franchise or the penguins from the 'Madagascar' franchise. For me though, those characters were much funnier, cuter and more charming, the lemmings were pretty bland and irritated more than amused. The voice actors across the board fail to bring much passion or fun to their characters, with a lot of going through the motions and over-compensating.

In summary, awful and a disgrace to animation. 1/10 (a rating that this reviewer has not given out since February). Bethany Cox

I cannot find the words

[djlthomson-47448 · 1/10 · 8 July 2016]

Garbage. Trash. Abysmal. Pointless, directionless, painful, disappointing, tasteless, meaningless, meandering, gag-me-with-a-spoon, terrible beyond compare, slide me down a razor blade into a vat of iodine instead of making me watch this tripe again, just plain old "Bad".

Nope. Can't find it. Can't find the word or phrase.

I have been burgled of 40 minutes (that's all I could tolerate before I covertly left the room to register for IMDb solely to write this review) and I would like it back. I would go through my divorce again if it meant I didn't have to watch a minute of this crap ever... ever again.

*sob* It's really that bad, folks. A bunch of drunk kids throwing darts at the old plot board made this sucker a painful reality. Random, totally random.

I love animated films... having kids gave me a happy excuse to watch them all again and to live through the new ones in their company. But this drags the whole genre down to... to... well, the bottom. Of a really, really, deep hole.

Nope. Didn't like it. I feel bad for the people that wrote positive reviews and have to live with that shame every day. Shame on you all.

Have fun... with anything else. :-)

About as bad as animated films can get

[Reckno64 · 1/10 · 16 August 2019]

The animation is cheap, the story is stupid, the characters are REALLY stupid, and by god those Lemmings.....they are the worst characters in any piece of animation I have ever seen. I am not joking. They make the Minions look like noble high-class security guards in comparison. The Lemmings I wanted dead from the moment they came on-screen. They are "comic-relief" characters (the worst kind of character) that offer no comedy. Just pee and fart jokes galore, and they literally dedicate several minutes of this movie to potty humor. I wish I was kidding.....

Sadly there are sequels incoming. You will get more entertainment watching Nostalgia critic or Mr. Enter's review of this movie. Go watch those instead.....

Literal Trash

[emmajenae · 1/10 · 20 September 2020]

This movie.... was HORRIBLE. It makes the Emoji movie look oscar worthy. It's so cringey. The animation is DISGUSTING. The story is so weird and pointless, and whoever the little girls mom is... seems like a furry lmao.... That's basically all I have to say... For all of the good reviews on here... You are either 5 years old, or a bot.

The most boring animated movie I have ever seen

[Miguels_MR · 1/10 · 31 August 2020]

This movie is bad. This movie is so bad, I honestly don't even know how it exists. The animation looks more like a direct to DVD movie than a movie that should be allowed on theaters. The plot is so bad. If you think a polar bear who travels all the way to New York to try and save the Arctic because a guy is selling condos there, and the polar bear has the ability to speak to humans is a good plot, then it's your opinion, but it's still the worst plot in an animated movie. Granted, it is not the WORST animated movie ever, but it is still very bad, and is definitely in the top 5. It is even worse than The Emoji Movie. The movie is so boring, easily the worst animated movie I have ever seen in theaters.

An Outstanding Movie.

[river-94557 · 10/10 · 29 January 2016]

"Norm Of The North" is an outstanding film for both children and adults.

It is a 3D Comedy- Adventure Movie.

I loved the plot of the movie about a cute,brainy and gentle bear called North.This bear peacefully asks for his rights in an incredibly funny and smart way.He talks to people too with a sense of humour.

The film is appealing to kids, teens and adults who would definitely enjoy watching this incredible film if they are stressed or sad.

90% real comedy,70% Adventure,100% Good Theme & Great Acting.

Off course Director Trevor Wall is a genius and all the producers did a great job because nobody in the cinema was bored.

VIEWS ON FILM review of Norm of the North

[burlesonjesse5 · 6/10 · 28 January 2016]

Hello folks. It's the start of the new year again. That means a lowbrow, cartoon flick is being marketed badly, it's being released in January, and it's being taken down by critics like the Arizona Cardinals were taken down by the Carolina Panthers (a rare football reference). 2014 had this going on with The Nut Job and now here comes Norm of the North (my latest review). Seeing "Norm" today with my two nephews and my niece, I realized that these types of movies are critic proof when it comes to small children. I mean it's a cartoon just like anything else. You put the young tykes in their seats, give them some Skittles, and they stare straight at the screen, transfixed. So parents, just be patient. You can rightfully go see The Revenant next week (ha-ha).

Anyway, as an animated film made by a rookie director (Trevor Wall), Norm of the North is off-putting and unsavory without having an ounce of adult humor. And with a reference to Titanic, a couple of fart jokes, and an assumed PG rating, kids ages 4-8 will still dig it a lot more than their parental units.

Now for kicks-and-giggles, the visual effects in "Norm" are mostly decent with their inspiration obviously coming from any one of the Ice Age movies. It's the human characters however, that look a little old fashioned (I thought I was watching a Def Leppard music video circa 1992). Bottom line: I didn't dislike Norm of the North but a totally mixed review is necessary. When I saw the main trouper (a guileless polar bear voiced by comedian Rob Schneider) doing weird, gyrated dance moves to some cheesy, outdated Muzak, well I pretty much cringed like a mother.

Featuring the voice-over work of Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, and Bill Nighy, being heralded as the first feature-length, animation release from Splash Entertainment, and having its chief protagonist dress up in an outfit prompting him to take a stab at a gay joke (that's what I thought anyway), Norm of the North contains a dance-along-type ending that lets you know that it's strictly for the kiddies. The story begins by chronicling Arctic Circle/carnivorous bear, Norm (Rob Schneider). You see Norm is an Ursus maritimus that can't seem to hunt effectively. He can however, talk to humans and has an animalistic sense of empathy. When Norm gets word of a rich, real estate mogul (Jeong as Mr. Greene) trying to build condos in his Arctic territory, well he becomes distraught, gets on a plane to New York City, and tries to hatch a plan to stop said developer's money hungry plans. Look for a scene where young Norman eats live gills and fins at a sushi bar. Also, look away when his sidekicks (furry creatures called lemmings) urinate in a fish bowl and just about everywhere else. How unsanitary.

All in all, I found Norm of the North to be disposable (to an adult, what animated vehicle isn't) yet not awful. Ninety minutes go by and what's on screen is like every other kid toon, evaporating the moment you leave the theater. Actually, strike that. There is one exception. 1982's The Secret of NIMH is in my mind, four star stuff. Darn it though, they just don't make em' like they used to. Rating: 2 and a half stars.

It's amazing how ugly a big budget computer animated film can be

[benjaminweber · 1/10 · 5 April 2018]

First of all, this is not the absolute worst animated film. The voice acting is mainly good. A couple of the jokes are okay too, but may have occurred by accident. There, now the positives are out of the way, let's look at the negatives.

This film is horrible to look at, which is a bad sign for a visual medium. A lot of the characters move in a horribly jarring way, especially the villain, who moves like Mr Fantastic from the Fantastic Four having a seizure. This effect is amplified when they speak and move at the same time, since the line deliveries are clearly intended for a non-Woody Woodpecker character. Throughout the film, it doesn't quite seem like the characters themselves are talking. Then there's the character design. This ranges across a full spectrum, from laughable to just unpleasant.

Onto the writing! The idea for the story is not that bad, but it is not well executed. It feels drawn out for what it actually accomplishes. Aside from the story, many of the jokes fall flat, or actively detract from the viewing experience, particularly the lemmings/fake minions. There are comedy accents for no reason, sometimes so poorly done it becomes impossible to tell which accent they were meant to be.

Overall, this is just bad. I would give it a 3 or 4 out of 10, but there were two factors at play to stop me. Firstly, this is far too ugly for a visual medium. A film can be poorly made without being actively unpleasant just to look at. Secondly, this film has an inflated IMDb score due to fake reviews by the studio, following in the footsteps of Saving Christmas and After Last Season before it. As such, I'm giving this a 1/10.

Really Bad

[gavinwrivera · 1/10 · 16 September 2017]

The only thing good about this movie is that it tells people not to harm the environment. I like that message. You wouldn't force a Polar Bear to leave its own home. But there are three reasons why this is bad. 1. The animation looks like it's from a mid-2000s Pixar short film. 2. The toilet humor isn't funny. 3. The plot is BO-RING! BO-RING! I think this was a box office bomb.

I think most kids will probably enjoy it.

[Hellmant · 5/10 · 12 May 2016]

'NORM OF THE NORTH': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Animated kids' movie, about a talking polar bear, named Norm, on a mission to save his home from a ruthless rich developer. The film stars Rob Schneider, as the voice of Norm; and it costars Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Colm Meaney and Bill Nighy. It was directed by first time feature filmmaker Trevor Wall (who's had a lot of experience directing kids' animated TV shows); and it was written by Daniel R Altiere, Steven M. Altiere (two veteran TV kids' film writers), Malcolm T. Goldman (a first time film writer) and Jamie Lissow (who also co- wrote the TV comedy series 'REAL ROB', with Schneider; who also starred in it). The movie received really bad reviews from critics, but it was mildly enjoyed by audiences. I'm somewhere in the middle.

Norm (Schneider) is a unique polar bear, in that he can talk to humans (and dance). He's not good at hunting though, and he doesn't fit in with the other bears. Norm loves his home still, despite this. So when he finds out that a greedy rich developer, named Mr. Greene (Jeong), is planning on building luxury houses in the Arctic, Norm travels to New York City to stop him. Three lemmings help him on his mission, as well as a compassionate employee of Mr. Greene's (Graham).

The film isn't exactly funny, or charming, but it doesn't feel overly stupid, or boring, either. The characters are likable, and there's also a really positive message, about defending the environment from big business. I think most kids will probably enjoy it as well. I've definitely wasted my time watching much worse kids' movies than this.

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/_3w7EWxV5vg

10/10 ratings apparently are the most 'useful reviews'?

[madisondeclare · 3/10 · 14 June 2016]

This film does NOT deserve a 10/10 rating! If you genuinely liked the film, that's fine. But come on! It doesn't deserve the highest possible rating just to balance out all the very negative reviews!

This film's plot is ridiculous---even if it's not meant to be taken that seriously. The animation works for a TV show on Nickelodeon or something, not a film released in theatres! The characters aren't interesting and just flat out dumb. The jokes aren't funny. The acting is nothing special.

Pretty much everything fails in this film. The reason why I gave this movie a 3 and not 1 is because there were some very few clever things about it and an okay message, but the way it was played out was definitely not that good.

If you like this movie, go ahead! But like I said, 10/10 is simply too much to give this film.

Overall 3/10

Let it go to hell

[thesar-2 · 2/10 · 3 July 2016]

I've never seen the movie Food Fight, but I did see a fantastic review from FanboyFlicks. This movie looks like that crap.

I want badly to give this movie 1/10 stars on how terrible and outdated it is, but in reality, it does look like they were trying. They were trying to get a message across and they truly believed their jokes – ALL OF WHICH fell flat – worked.

I guess this is a Go-Green story of saving the planet, but they did it in a weird-ass way with having a polar bear (the movie's title character named "Norm") speak "human" so they can cut corners in the writing process. I suppose.

Let's just jump into the story: Norm, an artic polar bear, sees tourists as threats and vows to stop people from moving there to save his land. In the process, he brings three lemmings to NYC with him to produce fart and pee jokes (some right after the other) and save the North.

Again, I only saw clips of Food Fight from FanboyFlicks' YouTube review. This looks just as bad. Some of the worst animation I've ever seen. I wouldn't care so much about the CGI if the story was fresh, the characters fleshed and the message was clear. But none of those happened. It's just awful to look at and nothing of note to take with you outside the bad tech.

Skip this disaster and just donate $5 to Global Warming charities.

***

Final thoughts: Thank God kids are smart. To date, they've help fuel the fantastic Finding Dory with $372 million domestic in just its third weekend and this poor excuse for animation with $17 million in its entire run. Hell, Finding Dory probably made Norm of the North's take in the first 2 hours of release.