You don't change the formula, not when it is one that has worked to amass a cool US$400mil worldwide per picture. So despite boasting a new director in the form of 'Sky High' and 'Shrek Forever After's' Mike Mitchell, this third live-action adaptation of the classic animated TV series is surprisingly alike to the earlier two instalments. That's going to be good news for those who loved both the first 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' as well as the 'Squeakquel'- but for those hoping that this third outing will finally have the charm that eluded the first two, we'd like to warn you to be disappointed.
Penned once again by the duo of Johnathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, the 'Chipwrecked' adventure uses yet another paper-thin plot to string together the hi-jinks of the singing and dancing Chipmunk trio as well as their female Chipette equivalents. Here, Alvin's mischief while vacationing on a cruise with their kind beleaguered owner Dave (Jason Lee) leaves the Chipmunks and the Chipettes stranded on a desert island with a volcano that's about to blow its top. Oh and did we mention Alvin's hand-gliding stunt also lands both Dave and their arch-nemesis from before, Ivan (David Cross), overboard and washed up on the same, albeit different corner of the, island?
It's no secret how- let alone if- the Chipmunks and Chipettes manage to make it off the island alive, and not even the addition of a new character, Zoe (Jenny Slate), whom Aibel and Berger unabashedly models after Tom Hanks' FedEx employee in Castaway, adds much life to what is really an awfully predictable plot. Admittedly, none of the Chipmunk movies have had much story, and to expect better from 'Chipwrecked' would therefore be a tall order. Like the previous instalments therefore, this one is simply content to coast on the 'aw-shucks' cute charms of the chipmunks.
Indeed, each Chipmunk seems to be calculated to appeal to a certain demographic- whether the playful leader Alvin, the responsible brainiac Simon, or the adorably naïve Theodore, as well as the corresponding Chipettes Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor. Their incessant high-pitched bantering and bickering that unfolds at a lightning pace is still clearly the highlight of the show, not forgetting of course their regular song and dance numbers set to some of the contemporary chart- topping pop tunes like Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance', Willow Smith's 'Whip My Hair' and Destiny Child's 'Survivor'.
Like we said, it's worked before- like a charm, if we may add- with family audiences, so expect more of the same this time round. A midway twist where Simon starts assuming an alter-ego in the form of Frenchman Simone after getting bitten by a poisonous spider tries to inject some novelty into the Chipmunks' routine, but the initial appeal of watching the usually rational Simon turn debonair and somewhat impetuous quickly wears out its welcome. Faring slightly better is the budding attraction between Simon and Jeanette, manufactured nonetheless to elicit maximum geek appeal.
Speaking of geek, those who loved 'My Name is Earl' may be dismayed to find that Jason Lee plays again the lead human character in the movie- and while the talented Jason looks like he could easily sleepwalk through the role, he does succeed in drawing out more than a few laughs in between his repartee with David Cross. Mitchell however displays little of the flair he exhibited in the superhero surprise 'Sky High' and his work here is as nondescript as his earlier in 'Shrek Forever After'.
Of course, the fault isn't entirely Mitchell's- after all, the template for the 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' live-action films have been pretty much fixed in stone after the resounding success of the first two movies. This three-quel is made only for those who have enjoyed both its predecessors, since ultimately it rehashes the same singing and dancing Chipmunk formula. Nevertheless, it's fast becoming a foolish consistency, and the likely fourth entry better not just be simply another Chip off the old block.
