Review: HOP

Staring 

James Marsden, Russell Brand, Kaley Cuoco, Hank Azaria, Gary Cole, Elizabeth Perkins, Hugh Laurie

Director

Tim Hill

HOP is an Easter-themed live-action and animated comedy film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment.

Here is what the Wiki says about HOP and to start of civil, lets go with that.

• Hop stars the voice of Russell Brand as E.B., a rabbit who does not want to succeed his father, Mr. Bunny (Hugh Laurie), in the role of the Easter Bunny; James Marsden as Fred O'Hare, a human who is out of work and wishes to become the next Easter Bunny himself; and the voice of Hank Azaria as Carlos and Phil, two chicks who plot to take over the Easter organization.

 That's nice. If I had started out, it certainly would not be so civil. First off yes, I know it meant for a younger audience, but I am sorry, that doesn't excuse them from making even a marginally watchable movie. But no, this movie is a flip off for anyone over the age of 10. I honestly have never seen so many actors blatantly go out just for the paycheck! But I have to be honest, 30 minutes was all I could take of this travesty. 

One of the first things I like to do is check the extras in case there is a different cut or options. Again, there seemed to be but it would seem that Universal has jumped on the "lets make renters second class customers" wagon by turning off all the extra features and even worse letting you know they are doing it because you are renting! So you can see the mind set I was in when I started the movie proper. I love animation...mixed media is ok in its place. But after a half hour of wooden dialog and garish CGI sets, I was pushing the stop button out the back of the remote. 

There really isn't much good to say. If you are an animation fan, run as fast as you can away from this disk, if you are a collector, well unless you have toddlers still in diapers, don't waste the shelf space. 

The movie itself is an unwatchable morass of cliches and one dimentional characters. Here it is in a nutshell - I don't want to be the Easterbunny! But you HAVE to be the Easter bunny! I don't want to work in a no where job. You don't want to be the easter bunny? I can be the easter bunny! I just don't understand my son! I love what I am doing now! I love you son even if I don't understand you. cut fade and scene. shudder..... 

I don't give out negative number ratings, because that is a bit nonsensical however this is damn close....maybe a 3 denoting the fact that they could light and shoot the movie even if calling it a movie is a stretch.  Put the DVD back in the rack and step back, now turn and run as quickly as you can away from the movie.