Genres

Visitors Review

Tim Robey 2012-05-25 17:34:01

Better than Cats & Dogs, but praise hardly comes much lower.

2012-05-25 07:54:14

Wouldn't play

This review is from: Marmaduke (Amazon Instant Video) Never got to see the movie. I just got an error message after it dowloaded. I paid for it, but never got to see it!

opineles 2012-05-25 08:22:04

Not as bad as 2.4

I seriously think some users here on IMDb are being undeservedly harshon this movie. What the motives are, I'm not too sure, but I canrecommend some of them to watch the documentary Heckler. Now, back tosubject, sorry for digressing, I've seen worse movies get higherratings at IMDb. Now, I'm not really a fan of Owen Wilson or moviesthat have animals talking, but I feel this movie is at least a high 4to low 5, in keeping in line with other movies reviewed on IMDb. Ivoted 5. I watched 2 movies - namely, Thomas the cool mule and thatAussie Ted movie that I would rank at 2 - 3 each, but not this movie.This movie is not brilliant or the best kiddies movie out there, butit's good, clean family fun. That's all I expected when I took my kidto watch this. And he enjoyed it. Unlike those other 2 movies Imentioned earlier.

Sam Bathe 2012-05-24 16:00:57

You could do worse with young kids, and they'll romp along with Marmaduke's throwaway adventures, it's just there's much better stuff out there that will entertain viewers above the age of 10 too.

thesubstream 2012-05-24 18:44:02

I liked the part where the fake dogs danced

The funniest joke in the long-awaited live-action/CGI adaptation ofeveryone's second-least favourite comic strip Marmaduke is actuallyintentional, which is kind of impressive. Of course, it's not funny inthe way that the filmmakers intended it to be funny so that's too bad Iguess but it is actually a joke that is actually funny. Some connectionhad been made, through the layers of awful script and boring stagingand legitimately creepy CGI. They intended to make me laugh, when theyhad the mean dog Bosco call out our Owen-Wilson-voiced hero in themiddle of the hero's crowning moment, a big raucous "O.C. rager" of aparty, icing our dog out with a growled, "Marmaduke? More like…Marmafake." And they did.I laughed, I admit it. Marmapuke, Marmapoop, Marmadreck… there's a lotof ways the screenwriters could have gone, and they chose Marmafake,which…well dog-gone it, it doesn't even rhyme. Notes: I also laughedwhen the filmmakers, seeking to set the tone after Marmaduke & family'sbig cross-country move to the O.C. from Kansas so the dad (Lee Pace)could work for a dog-food company with a mean boss (William H. Macy,for some inexplicable reason) by mixing "California" by Phantom Planetalmost directly into "California Love" by 2Pac. I assume they'd spentall the soundtrack licensing money by that point, because they left out"California" by Belinda Carlisle and "California" by John Mayall and"California" by Joni Mitchell and "Going back to Cali(fornia)" by L.L.Cool J and "Hotel California" by the Eagles. Too bad. Anyway Marmaduke is, we're told, a big, gangly goofy dog played by twoor more real dogs in the film, that talks with a creepy CGI animatedmouth. I'm pretty sure, at least, that they used more than one dogbecause sometimes Marmaduke has a big, dangly pair of testicles, andsometimes he doesn't, which is obviously problematic and I startedthinking, while on-screen Marmaduke was having another interminabledialogue session with some other dog about something that to sobrazenly, as filmmakers, use dogs with varying levels oftesticle-havingness is kind of bold, almost as if they're saying "Yeah,sometimes 'duke's got nuts and sometimes he doesn't. We don't care,because nobody will notice, and if they do notice, it's because you'rea perverted weirdo who both looks at and notes dog's nuts." Which leftme feeling vaguely insulted, and terribly aggrieved. So Marmaduke has some friends that are dogs and some enemies, and hemakes some mistakes and eventually gets sad and runs away from hisfamily and his haughty girlfriend, voiced by Fergie from the Black-EyedPeas, who is actually a better voice actor than she is a singer.Marmaduke then falls into a sink-hole along with another funny-lookingbut faithful and nice dog (voice of Emma Stone) and then or perhapsbefore then there is a dog-surfing championship and everything is fine,even the sub-plots about 'duke's dad's mean boss and his kid that hatessoccer. Kids might like it, but I doubt it, as aside from being creepy andawkward and really poorly plotted it's just… dull. One of the firstthing they teach you in screen writing school is "show, don't tell",that expository dialogue is a no-no and narrators all the more so. Butdogs can't really act, and they don't really do anything except runaround and eat sandwiches so for the film to have a narrative structurethe dogs have to talk, a lot, explaining everything, and because dogsdon't drive or frame houses or fold clothes they talk while just…standing there looking around. It's hellaciously boring, but probablyunavoidable as Marmaduke is clearly an intellectual property that fanshave literally been screeching and rending their clothes to see broughtto the big screen and given the ol' Hollywood treatment. I don't have anything more to say about Marmaduke. 2/10

Phelim O'Neill 2012-05-24 06:24:55

Fans of the single-panel cartoon that has run in newspapers since the 1950s will find plenty to disappoint them in this live-action adaptation.

Kyle Smith 2012-05-18 22:07:25

I'm envisioning a sequel that joins together two towering franchises, only with an R rating for excessive gore: Marmaduke Versus Alvin and the Chipmunks, anyone?

A.O. Scott 2012-05-18 08:58:15

This movie is one big dog.

2012-05-14 15:48:43

Not Happy

This review is from: Marmaduke (DVD) I bought this movie for my 2 year old granddaughter and the movie skipped all the way through. And she watches only a few movies ALL the time, this being one of them. So I had to return the movie to the seller. So we weren't very happy campers.

Elliott Noble 2012-05-14 11:09:37

Never veers from The Hollywood Guide To Mid-Budget Family Fare.

sandtonvideo 2012-05-13 17:42:37

Rated PG for Parental Gagging...

MARMADUKE (very minor spoiler ahead) This is a movie thatRottenTomatoes gave a 90% rotten rating, that received a 30/100Metacritic rating, and a 2.8 (out of 10) from IMDb. So why did so manythink that this is a "steaming pile" (as one dog eloquently puts it inthe movie)? The answer is twofold, perhaps: (1) Marmaduke the comic isa sweet one-panel cartoon that usually derives its humor fromMarmaduke's size (Marmaduke is a Great Dane, in case you are unfamiliarwith the cartoon). Its humor is simple and direct, and Marmaduke themovie is not. What Marmaduke the movie is, is another stereotype teenhigh school movie with dogs instead of humans, which is reason (2).After so many movies about how nasty and vicious the "in" kids are andhow the sweet, downtrodden "not in" kids triumph in the end, doing thesame cliché with dogs instead of people doesn't refresh the cliché, itjust turns it into, well, a steaming pile. Now, having given you thedown side, here is the good part: the movie is full of physical comedy,jokes, more physical comedy, and an energy that will please manychildren. And this is reason enough to make it less odious to parents:it's hard to hate a movie that is making your child laugh. And ofcourse the movie is full of dogs, and who doesn't have a soft spot forman's best friend? Judged as cinematic art, this is horrible. But aschildren's entertainment, it will be fine for many children. Taken assuch, it is quite passable (but then, so are many kidney stones; youjust might experience some pain from both).

Organic_6 2012-05-13 06:47:11

As criminally misunderstood a thing Dey has ever captured on film

When I heard 20th Century Fox would be adapting the fifty-year oldclassic comic strip, Marmaduke, to the big screen I was gleefullyentranced in an uninterrupted state of anticipation. We're talkingabout the same studio that flawlessly reconstructed the dated Garfieldand SO last decade Alvin & the Chipmunks to fit into this freshergeneration of modernized teen lingo, consistent pop culture referencesand omitting an occasional bodily humor gag every now and then (everytwo minutes can be considered occasional, right?). I'm happy to saythat this is a worthy new addition to the gang that I go as far as tohold on par with Mike Myer's glorious Cat in the Hat.First of all you have to appreciate the man who helmed it all, Tom Dey,for establishing a brave new look towards the characteristics of abeloved cartoon canine. All he really had to pick was a flashiersetting, increase the obliviousness of his human companions, maybe addthe most hip pop songs on Billboard's Top 100 during a montage, OH…healso may have also added more ignorance to his personality. But that'sokay; out of all the things they could have forgotten I'm gratefulthey've maintained the premise of destructive, slapstick-reliant GreatDane. Once I saw that pack of computer-animated dogs dancing in unisonto "What I Like About You", I realized this would be the mostcriminally misunderstood thing Dey had ever captured on film sinceTerry Bradshaw's rear end.Major kudos also goes out Owen Wilson for FINALLY picking awell-meaning dog movie this time around. Marley and Me was idioticallyunder the impression you could show the shenanigans of a household petevery once in a while, but spend the rest of the time observing seriousconsequences and responsibilities of owning him. What were theythinking?!?! Kids shouldn't worry about all that – their parentsshould! Children should be aware that it's okay for a dog to run aroundwet after a bath, violently flip over masters and succumb to peerpressure for the sake of holding a party. Your mom will take care ofit, little guy…until then, point and laugh!!! Not only does Wilson picka better dog movie this time around, but also voice character too. WhatAmerica was thinking in making Cars a $200 million hit, I shall nevercomprehend. It took an admirable, heroic lead who knew his place insociety and had his mind twisted around into thinking losing isexcusable. Un-be-lievable! Marmaduke on the other hand gives somestrategical tips to the youth of our ages to fit in: if your householdcanine can't squeeze into anybody's $700 Gucci purse, than you shoulddeny all existence of the one you actually own until he does somethingcool like surfing. You'll never live up to be the next Paris Hiltonwith that overly strong a backbone, sweety.Marmaduke didn't get the strong box office performance or glowingreviews it deserved. Hopefully it has a better shelf life when it comesto DVD this August. That's right…August. How cool are these producersfor putting it from the big screen to TV within a three month period?Really cool, I know. Just goes to show that if movies are as good asthe time it takes them to get to stores, than I'd be embarrassed to beattached to Monsters Inc and it's 10 month gap.

Brian Tallerico 2012-05-13 11:59:33

This is a film that begins and ends with a fart joke. And those are two of the highlights.

lcholland12 2012-05-12 18:21:13

Excellent Film!!!!

Yay!!! Wonderful film!!! I've watched it at least a hundred times!!!The protagonist, marmaduke, is a totally believable mutt from Kansas.He is so cute and if I am reborn as a dog, I would love to come back asJezebel. And the bad guy, Boscoe, is totally evil. He is really reallyscary (played by Kiefer Sutherland). And the surfing in it is reallycute and hilarious. Dogs on surfboards hahaha brilliant!!! But the truewinner in this movie is Barbara, marmaduke's owner (Phil's) daughter,who is struggling to make friends in a new place. Totally believable!!!She has a crush on this cool surfer boy named Bodie. hehehe. Thats soCali, you know what I mean!!! This just makes me want to go to thebeach and lay out in the sun for hours. Also William H. Macy'sbrilliant portrayal of Phil's boss, the owner of an organic dog foodcompany (haha I know) really makes my spirit soar. When marmaduke winsthe surfing competition, I was like this movie is def on my top 10list. So coooool!!!!!!!! Go see this movie immediately if you a) lovedogs and b) love California cultural pieces like the OC and/or Saved Bythe Bell!!! Love yalll!!!!!!!

2012-05-08 20:24:04

Not that good

this movie (and a thousand others) was about a dog. sooooooooooooooooo many movies about dogsare made. and the idea wasn't the great. sure, it wasn't like sooooooooooooooo bad, but it wasn't that great. :(

2012-05-08 05:42:12

My son and I had a great time

Maybe I'm just a bit different (perhaps thats why I liked Marmaduke somuch as he's different too!) but I saw the bad reviews and they made mewant to see this movie even more! Now I am a sucker for a talking dogmovie and this being school holidays in Australia it was the perfectopportunity for my 5 year old son and I to go and see this greattalking dog movie. We laughed from the minute it started, we "ooh'd"and "aaah'd" at the cute bits and generally had a lot of fun watchingit. I must admit I was expecting a real dud from the reviews butMarmaduke isn't one. It's wonderful for kids and wonderful for any dogowner who finds humor in their canines. If you fail to laugh at a greatDane sleeping in his owners' bed and farting when they embrace then youare a very serious grumpy soul who needs to lighten up. My son is stilltalking about those farts hours later! Come on, this movie isn't goingto win any Oscars and yes its corny, a wee bit predictable but its thesort of kids movie we grew up with. Some kids movies like UP and evenToy Story 3 are too complicated and involved for young children - thissimple tale is just the ticket. Love you Marmaduke and all your dogpark friends too.

Liz Braun 2012-05-07 14:37:46

This tale of a philosophical Great Dane who speaks with Owen Wilson's voice is not entirely without merit. Well, actually, it is, but never mind.

azure_halo 2012-05-07 07:26:28

No! No! Definitely not!

Hmmm. New dog in the neighbourood goes to the local dog friendly park(high school). There he becomes instant friends with the 'mutts'(geeks). His sights are caught by the sheer beauty of another dog (amember of the 'purebreds', or 'cheerleader') who is going out with thetop dog of the 'purebreds' (jocks). Of course, a lady dog in the'mutts' secretly likes him. To get in with the 'purebreds', Marmadukestages a bogus cat fight with the family cat and disowns the 'mutts',crushing his crush's heart (awww..). When the fam is away (yes,somewhere amongst the fray the two-leggers manage a cameo appearance)Marmaduke holds a frat party whereby his bogus cat fight is exposed.Then the purebreds go back to their hangout and the mutts want nothingto do with him. Do I really need to tell you how it ends? But, don't take my word for it. When I started the movie there were 3adults and 2 children watching. By the end of the movie the 2 childrenhad gotten bored and and went off to play. Seriously, don't waste yourtime or your money. Even the kids know the game is up for this genre.

2012-05-03 16:50:36

Hilarious!

This review is from: Marmaduke (DVD) I loved this movie! I laughed during the whole movie except for the one sad part where Marmaduke was lost! If I could get another dog, I'd get a Marmaduke!

wayno2005 2012-05-03 09:40:34

marmaduke

i am not understanding why so many people are giving this a badrating.. when i downloaded i checked the film on here and when i seenthe rating at 1.7 i thought this has to be absolute rubbish and i wasjust going to throw it way.. then i checked the trailer and looked OKto me so i thought i would watch 10 minutes s of it and see if any good,, well i ended up watching the whole film .. i know this is aimed as akids film but i am 34 and thought this wasn't a bad film at all , infact i quiet enjoyed it, there is some funny bits in here ,, just hopeother people will read this before throwing it away , and not to go bythe ratings .. i am sure the kids will love this ,, so thats why i amgiving it a rating of 7,, i think this film, deserves it . i think somepeople were a bit unfair for the rating that they have give this film