18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I wish I were as smart as Jimmy!, October 28, 2002
After reading the previous reviews I didn't feel desperate to watch this terrific movie. Buy this movie! I am 32 years old and I don't have kids. But, I laughed-out-loud all through this movie. Jimmy's best friend (the guinea pig for all of Jimmy's dangerous experiments) deserves an Oscar for best supporting actor in a comedy! Now that's a friend! If you can't tell already - Jimmy is really smart and creates cool gadgets. Oh and Jimmy has built his very own gadget workshop (accessed via a secret elevator entrance in the back yard) under his house. At no time did this movie seem slow. You (or maybe your kids) will barely have time to recover from one laugh to the next or between exciting action scenes. There is a very cool and super-loyal robot dog too! This movie can help ANYONE forget their problems and escape into Jimmy's world!(that is saying a lot!) I am crossing my fingers for many sequels. If the creative geniuses who made this movie are perhaps reading - Job Well Done!
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun for people of all ages!, January 4, 2002
As far as state-of-the-art computer animation has taken us, "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" isn't first rate, but who said it needed to be, anyway? Here is a movie whose animation reminds us that capturing reality through technology isn't always appealing; for me, this delightful children's movie is a true triumph of comedy and spirited fun, and will no doubt please children as well as adults.
The story is based on the Nickelodeon cartoon featuring Jimmy Neutron, a highly intelligent elementary school student whose knowledge of all things scientific wows his father and displeases his mother ("How many times have we told you not to play with rockets?"). He is teased at school for his height and his creativeness, which sometimes carries mixed results, though none of it seems to bother him. His inventive nature drives him to do things like creating a girl-eating plant, burp soda, and launching a satellite made from a household toaster into space.
When phlegm-like space aliens retrieve the satellite and discover Earth's coordinates, they descend on Jimmy's town and kidnap all adults as a meal for their ruler, a cross between a chicken and Godzilla. At this point, it's up to Jimmy to save the day.
This is a very simple yet entertaining story, devoid of the in-jokes and satirical whimsy of "Shrek," or the slightly more realistic appearance of Disney's "Toy Story" movies, yet it still manages to please with its childlike innocence and its wonderful humor. Jimmy's creative mind provides for some very wacky shenanigans, including a completely robotic dog named Goddard who is Jimmy's friend for life. He is also supplied with two best friends, a nerdy, timid chub named Carl, and a cartoon fanatic named Sheen, both of whom bring a great deal of laughs to the material.
The comedy supplied here reminds us that a movie need not be a satire or parody, or possess abundant bodily function jokes or crude humor to be amusing. As for the computer animation, there's no reason I can think of for which "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" should have been supplied with a completely realistic animation process; in fact, when working with the movie's unrealistic story, it adds to the sense of whimsy and fantasy that makes it such a terrific movie.
I expected no more or no less than fun from this latest family feature, and came out with a big smile on my face. Like many of the year's family films, from "Cats and Dogs" and "Spy Kids," to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," this film is pleasing for the kiddies while reminding adults of the pleasures of childhood, and that alone is worth it. That, and the chance to see a Ferris Wheel and an octopus flying through space.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrrific fun for the whole family!, April 13, 2002
"Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" (2001)
It is rare that an animated children's film comes along and reminds us exactly how much fun it was to be a kid. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is one of those movies that makes you want to go back to those days and play with your gadgets and have fun. Instead of doing that you could just watch this splendid film. It's about as suitable for kids as it is for adults, and I'm sure even though the movie is unrealistic, everyone will view Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius as it was meant to be viewed - a fun-filled, imaginative and faithful adaptation to the TV show I have not yet seen.
The movie's plot is fairly simple - some kids' parents are kidnapped by aliens so its up to the children to save the day - but the wizardry is not in the plot. The real fantastical thing about the movie is the fact that Jimmy Neutron is a boy-genius and this offers for some terrific belly laughs. The fact that this young child can invent things that children and even some adults can only dream about is brilliant and it brings the movie vividly to life. Jimmy can invent edible bubble-gum which blows up to be a type of transport, burp soda, a mechanical dog named Goddard, a plant which is robotically engineered to eat girls, and many other things. Neutron's inventions are what save the day in the end and they are memorably creative and you'll wish you had some of the things that Jimmy could invent.
The film's humour is absolutely stunning. You've got the chance to see a giant octopus and rollercoaster ride in space, see Channel 7 news run by children and the characters themselves bring many smiles and laughs to the movie. Jimmy Neutron is a funny man himself, very scientific and uses a lot of big words and metaphorical slangs (funny since he is so young), but it isn't him that steals the show. For me, the sidekicks really steal the show which is so often the case in many comedies. Carl is Jimmy's best friend, a glasses-wearing, chubby and thick guy, and he has the coolest voice and I just thought his lines and character in general were very cute. For the kids Sheen will be terrific. His obsession with a cartoon character Ultra Lord offers many belly laughs. And then of course there's Goddard, Neutron's mechanical dog, who has many gadgets and insertions, and he ultimately takes the cake and is the most inventive (and that's out of a lot) thing in the film.
Sure, the movie does have a couple of problems. There are still some questions you'll want answered like I wondered if the parents were only abducted from Jimmy's home town or from all over the world. And how could the children just "breathe" in space? But of course you've got to remember this movie is mostly intended to be seen by children so those 2 are excusable in some senses. What disappointed me slightly is that the movie is really quite predictable overall. The gadgets and ideas in the movie are indescriably entertaining and you don't expect them, but the plot doesn't have any major twists and turns and you just know how the movie is going to end. I also wanted to see more of Jimmy's class teacher, who is the funniest character in the entire film and has yet 2 scenes.
However, what remains of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is a terrific animated movie with great memorable quotes and some amazing ideas. It is worth seeing in the theatres for its creative genius and great photography. Highly recommended!
MY GRADE: A-
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