Film Reviews

Bolt

• Rating:
• Director: Byron Howard
• Starring: Malcolm McDowell
• Details: US / 103mins / (G)

Of the three dog movies I've seen in the past two weeks (Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Hotel For Dogs being the other two) Bolt is far and away the best. The movie opens with an extended Matrix-influenced action sequence that sees super dog Bolt (Travolta) dodge bullets, jump over helicopters, protect his 'person' Penny (Cyrus) and generally save the day as he brings down evil villain Dr. Calico (Malcolm McDowell). But wait, this isn't real – this is just a TV show that Bolt is the star of. Bolt, however, isn't aware of this and thinks it's all real, which causes problems when he becomes separated from the studio and winds up lost in New York. With the help of alley cat Mittens (Essman) and hamster Rhino (Walton), a massive fan of the show, Bolt makes the long trek back to Hollywood. Even though it might smack of Lassie Come Home or Homeward Bound or a million other dog-on-the-road flicks, it's hard to fault this fun animation – the dog is cute, the cat is cuter but nothing tops Rhino the hamster, one of the funniest characters to grace animation in recent years. It even takes time to poke fun at Hollywood's emptiness and it's obsession with money and ratings.

Review by Gavin Burke