by Jeffrey K. Lyles | Movie Review
No monkeying around, ‘‘Space Chimps” is a fun summer movie for the entire family.
Much like his great grandfather, Ham III (Andy Samberg, ‘‘Hot Rod”) enjoys the thrill of being in the air and seeing the stars.
Unlike his famous ancestor who was the first chimp to go into space, Ham is a bit more grounded in his pursuits — content to be the star of a small run-down circus as the cannonball daredevil.
It’s a quaint life for him and one he enjoys until, as usual, the feds come in to ruin all the fun.
A space probe has gone missing — sent through a warp to an alien planet where the unpredictable conditions make the mission to dangerous to send humans.
Time to send in the chimps! Sensing an opportunity for some good press, a Senator (Stanley Tucci, ‘‘Blind Date”) decides Ham would be a perfect addition to the chimp crew going into space to retrieve the probe.
Got to say if I’m an astronaut, I’m more than a tad upset that Hollywood makes their career as easy to pick up as say watering a plant.
The other chimps on the mission — the uptight Titan (Patrick Warburton, ‘‘Get Smart”) and Luna (Cheryl Hines, ‘‘The Grand”) — aren’t quite sure what to make of him, but are pretty sure he’s more showman than astronaut.
Meanwhile, the probe has landed in the hands of Zartog (Jeff Daniels, ‘‘Mama’s Boy”) a villain more clueless and wacky than truly evil. Zartog forces his fellow aliens to build him a castle based off an image of a Las Vegas casino.
Zartog’s method of punishment to those who dare oppose him is to dip them into volcano runoffs where they will be encased in a frozen coating forever.
Pretty aggressive treatment for a G-rated movie but beyond their silver-coated shell, the victims still talk and somehow their eyes are still free to move around.
Once they arrive on the planet, Ham III has to decide whether he’ll continue being a clown or become a legend like his grandfather.
Even for a kid’s movie featuring talking chimps, the animation is a bit more cartoony and exaggerated with characters sporting elongated faces, big ears, and wide bodies.
It certainly makes for some unique, if not overly detailed character models.
Beyond the clever puns and quips, screenwriters Robert Moreland (‘‘Space Marines”) and Kirk De Micco, who also directs the film, sneakily work in some positive messages of teamwork, being responsible and overcoming your fears.
It’s done in a manner that kids won’t even realize they’re learning valuable life lessons and parents will appreciate the subtle nature in which these admirable traits are reinforced.
Outside of Warburton, the cast doesn’t have distinct voices so you can enjoy their performance instead of say, like in ‘‘Kung-Fu Panda” where it’s easy to picture Jack Black acting in a sound booth as he reads his lines.
Here, the focus is clearly on the movie itself, not the stars that are providing the voices.
The real scene-stealers are Jane Lynch, Omid Abtahi and Patrick Breen, who play three decidedly un-hip scientists advising the senator on the chimps’ mission and who are prone to break out in a perfectly monotone delivery or dance at a moment’s notice.
‘‘Space Chimps” is the kind of summer movie parents and kids will both enjoy. It might not be the year’s best-animated film, but monkey business has rarely been so amusing.
Rating: Three stars
Space Chimps
G; Animation; 61 minutes
Director: Kirk De Micco
Cast: Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, Patrick Warburton, Zack Shada, Carlos Alazraqui, Jeff Daniels, Jane Lynch, Omid Abtahi and Patrick Breen
