I grew up in the '50s with Tom and Jerry as an occasional treat, and have loved them ever since and in the last few years have seen and enjoyed quite a few of them. A few days ago I began to watch _Tom and Jerry Blast Off to Mars_ and I'm sorry to say I can't give a full review because I found myself unwilling to watch beyond the third segment.
My first reaction was that the external view of the parts of the house bouncing into the air as Tom chased Jerry inside it was odd and unsubtle (I know, can slapstick be subtle?) and uncharacteristic of their style.
Second reaction was (as another reviewer has said) that the second scene was formulaic, boring, overcrowded and not executed well (though I did enjoy the imaging of the flames on the stove burners).
I was starting to feel a a bit of unease about the movie, and the third scene (involving a riding mower) suddenly crystallized it: this may sound odd, but the violence had a vicious character that seemed ugly and a bit disturbing and felt as though the makers were taking the easy way out instead of putting in the effort to make it both over the top and tongue in cheek. Tom and Jerry don't actually hate each other, there's a certain gentlemanliness between them; they go to bed happy at night thinking up how to outwit each other the next day -- and they don't grind each other up with heavy machinery. I don't feel as though I'm being very articulate about this, but it's the best I can do.
My first reaction was that the external view of the parts of the house bouncing into the air as Tom chased Jerry inside it was odd and unsubtle (I know, can slapstick be subtle?) and uncharacteristic of their style.
Second reaction was (as another reviewer has said) that the second scene was formulaic, boring, overcrowded and not executed well (though I did enjoy the imaging of the flames on the stove burners).
I was starting to feel a a bit of unease about the movie, and the third scene (involving a riding mower) suddenly crystallized it: this may sound odd, but the violence had a vicious character that seemed ugly and a bit disturbing and felt as though the makers were taking the easy way out instead of putting in the effort to make it both over the top and tongue in cheek. Tom and Jerry don't actually hate each other, there's a certain gentlemanliness between them; they go to bed happy at night thinking up how to outwit each other the next day -- and they don't grind each other up with heavy machinery. I don't feel as though I'm being very articulate about this, but it's the best I can do.