Of all the creatures in the animal kingdom capable of carrying a family cinema, the fly would be pretty low on the scale. Nothing against the garbage-picking plague, but Jeff Goldblum and David Cronenberg more or less sunk their run as anthropomorphized amusement. It's safe to say that not even a perfectly executing Pixar could salvage the rambling of Fly Me to the Moon. This 3D CGI drive about Apollo 11 -- and trey young bugs who decided to hitch a rocket ride -- is so out of joint and jingoistic that you're non sure whether to stand and salute or plainly hold your nose.
An fearless trio of flies -- the corpulent Scooter, smart as a whip IQ, and daring woolgatherer Nat -- have longed to be part of some real life venture. Spurred on by Nat's daredevil Grandpa (Christopher Lloyd) who claims to have accompanied Amelia Earhart on her Trans-Atlantic flight, they decide to stowaway on the approaching Moon Mission. When the Russian flies find out that thither are American insects onboard, they air operative Yegor (Tim Curry) to sabotage the flight. It volition be a race between freedom and the forces of wickedness to insure the USA places the first hands -- and pests -- on the lunar surface.
While it may seem clich� to say it, not even the added element of 2008 3D technology can save Fly Me to the Moon from being monotonic and preferably dimensionless. Of course, it's hard to wrap your cute proclivities around a film that features squirming baby maggots as a source of visual humour (complete with comic cooing). The option of bug here emphatically deserves some criticism, since they are rendered in a manner that reduces them to unrecognizable hemorrhoid of plumber's putty, except for the females wHO are far too voluptuous, even for bugs. Granted, this kid flick isn't looking to satisfy entomologists, just entertain. But with its pat storyline, deficiency of hullabaloo, and clumsy Cold War subplot, it fails as either science or fun.
Part of the problem here is the intended audience. Fly Me to the Moon is not made for cognizant wee ones raised on years of Fox and DreamWorks product. There is nary a pop finish riff nor hip homage present. And unlike similar computer-generated fare from 2008, it doesn't have WALL-E's visual panache or Kung Fu Panda's Shaw brothers reverence. Instead, this is just genre generics, remindful of something the VeggieTales people would put out -- negative the dung and flatulence jokes, still. It's all set up to sell a simple lesson (NASA and space are coooooool!) and then repeat that message over and over. The real Buzz Aldrin even shows up in front the end credits to make sure we don't question the competency -- or cleanliness -- of his misstep to the stars.
It's all very much a retro trip to a '60s era Tomorrowland attraction. The 3D fakes the kind of "you are there" immersion that House of Mouse Imagineers still thrive on, and the entire journey is kept safe and antiseptic so lilliputian tots (and anyone with a heart condition, or taste) continue out of harm's way. The eccentric arrival of Soviet saboteurs -- nail with Curry's Paul Frees accent -- will have you wondering where Moose and Squirrel are, and the lockstep problem/payoff account structure is like entertainment hypnosis, fundamentally brainwashing you into believing you're watching an factual film. Sadly, with its one note characterization (fatty fly = hungry) and inability to engage, this celebration of a monster leap for mankind is really just a small, insignificant step for film fans.
Gosh I hope they have dung up there.
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