"It is scary to be responsible for others. It is easier when you are alone."
Cast- Isabel Moner, Eva Longoria, Micheal Peña, Eugenio Derbez, Jeff Wahlberg, Nicholas Comby, Madeleine Madden, Danny Trejo, and Benecio del Toro.
Director- James Bobin
Rating- **1/2
Dora and The Lost City of Gold currently has an 82% Rotton Tomatoes and 3/4 rating on RogerEbert.com. It is a staggering statistic, to say the least, as James Bobin's interpretation of Nickelodeon's animated series ' Dora The Explorer ' fails to find a tonal equilibrium. 'Dora and The Lost City of Gold' is not a bad film necessarily, but it's as good as it is being made by its rave reviews.
The film version deals with adolescent Dora (Isabel Moner) who has spent most of her life living in the jungle with her archaeologist parents Cole and Elena ( Micheal Peña and Eva Longoria). Dora is sent by her parents to the as they gather Dora to be socially inept owing to their isolation from society. She has always known the ways of nature but is a fish out of water in her high-school as her relentless optimism begins to overwhelm everyone, especially her cousin Diego (JeffWahlberg). With her parents abducted in their pursuit of the Inca Empire, Dora finds herself back in nature's presence, reluctantly tagged along by Diego, Randy(Nicholas Comby), and Samy (Madeleine Madden).
The nicest thing that can be said about the movie without being too critical is that it's not as terrible as the trailers made it out to be. The film is undeniably swarming with some bad CGI. The film plays with itself a lot, and in an ultimate self-referential moment (involving hallucinogenic flowers) Dora and her posse get high and change into their cartoon versions; with Dora breaking the fourth wall sometimes. Did I mention there are CGI animals voiced by Danny Trejo ( Machete Kills) and Benicio Del Toro (The Usual Suspects)? Well, go figure!
Isabel Moner (Transformers franchise, Instant Family) is a clear standout. She perfectly carries the responsibility of playing someone who's been an inspiration to a generation of little kids. Moner plays Dora straight, providing with the most generous laughs. As Dora, she brings an untiring optimism whenever the script is cornered. Sure, the movie is not without its faults but is wholesome family entertainment with undeniable charm and good intentions.
And also, fart jokes.
Saturday, August 10, 2019 18:16 IST
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