The sweet children's book, complete with a loveable crocodile and a playful story has been brought to the big screen. Unfortunately, I felt as though very few of these positive characteristics were preserved in this adaptation. The story failed to interest me, the characters failed to surprise me, and even the once-cute crocodile failed to charm me. This movie may work for some audiences, but I unfortunately, had trouble finding a single reason to invest in this movie.
As the movie Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile began, I immediately found myself plunged into the ridiculous story. A failing magician living in New York, played by Javier Bardem, stumbles upon a singing crocodile and for a second, believes this creature will be his saving grace. Unfortunately for him, Lyle the crocodile fails to overcome his nerves when performing in front of an audience. Lyle was now of no use to the magician, and was left behind, only to be discovered by a boy that had just moved to the big city with his parents. The boy is quick to become friends with the beast, but as the two of them go on wacky adventures together, the boy realizes he won't be able to hide this singing crocodile from the world for long.
The premise sounds fun, and in some ways, it is. Unfortunately, due to flat characters, dull writing, and strange crocodile animations, I found myself very disappointed. Javier Bardem plays the magician, and I consider it a waste that the most skillful actor in the film played the flattest character of them all. The boy and his parents are slightly more interesting, but still gave me few characteristics with which to connect. Finally, Lyle is awkward, and not in an endearing way. His mannerisms and behaviors fell short of charming nine times out of ten.
The production quality and the music performed by the talented Shawn Mendes are decent. But unfortunately, these small triumphs were somewhat dwarfed by larger issues in this movie. Likely by no fault of the visual effects team, poor effects are nothing short of distracting, further removing me from the world that this movie tries to develop.
In summary, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile is built upon playful source material, but seems unable to deliver. It wasn't a horrible experience, but I found myself disappointed that this movie seemed incredibly flat for a movie that should rely heavily on emotion. Next time I sit down to watch a movie from this genre, I hope to see a little more boldness in the writing and a little more heart in the characters. If you're looking for a fun, family film with loveable animal character, I will point you to dozens of classics that are decades old before recommending Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile.
As the movie Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile began, I immediately found myself plunged into the ridiculous story. A failing magician living in New York, played by Javier Bardem, stumbles upon a singing crocodile and for a second, believes this creature will be his saving grace. Unfortunately for him, Lyle the crocodile fails to overcome his nerves when performing in front of an audience. Lyle was now of no use to the magician, and was left behind, only to be discovered by a boy that had just moved to the big city with his parents. The boy is quick to become friends with the beast, but as the two of them go on wacky adventures together, the boy realizes he won't be able to hide this singing crocodile from the world for long.
The premise sounds fun, and in some ways, it is. Unfortunately, due to flat characters, dull writing, and strange crocodile animations, I found myself very disappointed. Javier Bardem plays the magician, and I consider it a waste that the most skillful actor in the film played the flattest character of them all. The boy and his parents are slightly more interesting, but still gave me few characteristics with which to connect. Finally, Lyle is awkward, and not in an endearing way. His mannerisms and behaviors fell short of charming nine times out of ten.
The production quality and the music performed by the talented Shawn Mendes are decent. But unfortunately, these small triumphs were somewhat dwarfed by larger issues in this movie. Likely by no fault of the visual effects team, poor effects are nothing short of distracting, further removing me from the world that this movie tries to develop.
In summary, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile is built upon playful source material, but seems unable to deliver. It wasn't a horrible experience, but I found myself disappointed that this movie seemed incredibly flat for a movie that should rely heavily on emotion. Next time I sit down to watch a movie from this genre, I hope to see a little more boldness in the writing and a little more heart in the characters. If you're looking for a fun, family film with loveable animal character, I will point you to dozens of classics that are decades old before recommending Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile.
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