Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is wonderful story about how a few rats and mice have "evolved", thanks to an experimental injection, to a human level of cognition. The essence of the book then centers on how they have learn to embrace the best parts of humanity - selfless nobility. The driving tension in the book comes from a race to survive, both for the rats and the mice.
In this movie "adaptation", the entire essence of that plot is dropped and replaced with common and much less interesting themes. Most of the rats are hesitant to help Mrs. Brisby, and one rat becomes an outright villain. The efficiency and skill of the rats is replaced with arbitrary magical powers. The race against time is replaced with bickering and swordplay. The subtle character development of all the main characters is completely whitewashed. But the coup de grace is that the ending of the book is both sad and uplifting, whereas the ending of the movie is like a complete afterthought, adding no emotion to the story at all.
Perhaps if you haven't read the book, you might find some of the plot contrivances acceptable. But if you have read the book, then you'll realize the lost opportunity and no doubt pine for a remake that at least captures the book's essence of humanity, if not all of its specific details.
In this movie "adaptation", the entire essence of that plot is dropped and replaced with common and much less interesting themes. Most of the rats are hesitant to help Mrs. Brisby, and one rat becomes an outright villain. The efficiency and skill of the rats is replaced with arbitrary magical powers. The race against time is replaced with bickering and swordplay. The subtle character development of all the main characters is completely whitewashed. But the coup de grace is that the ending of the book is both sad and uplifting, whereas the ending of the movie is like a complete afterthought, adding no emotion to the story at all.
Perhaps if you haven't read the book, you might find some of the plot contrivances acceptable. But if you have read the book, then you'll realize the lost opportunity and no doubt pine for a remake that at least captures the book's essence of humanity, if not all of its specific details.