Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
We have not seen Chip ‘N Dale since 1990 (after three seasons and two movies) and the new feature as the tagline states is not a reboot, it’s a comeback. Despite that the voices of most of the characters are not the returning voices, they certainly bring their own signature styles to the characters, which is also helped by the fact that Akiva Schaffer is directing, who is a long-time contributor with Andy Samberg. Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers is certainly more geared towards the audience who grew up on the classic cartoon or watched it when they were children and are now in the late teens, early twenties and older. Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers is gut-wrenchingly funny, poignant, and brings its audience back to the fond memories of the classic late 80s early ’90s TV Show.
The Film focuses on Dale (Andy Samberg) and Chip (John Mulaney) as they’ve gone on and lived their own separate lives after the show has ended. While Chip has become an Insurance Agent, quite successfully one might say, and Dale has become a washed up actor whose decided to get the 3D rendering surgery. Their relationship has been relatively severed, and the only thing that brings them back together is their mutual friend, Monty (Eric Bana). However, things take a turn for the worst when Monty goes missing, and Chip and Dale have to team-back-up together, with a long-time fan Officer Ellie (Kiki Layne) to track down what happened to Monty and find him before it becomes too late.
What makes Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers so enjoyable and over-the-top is the combining of comedic legends Andy Samberg and John Mulaney. While they don’t have writing credits on the Script, their imprint is clearly all over the Movie and their brand of comedy is evidently clear. As well, having Akiva Schaffer direct the Film, makes this feel like a semi-Disneyified version of Popstar Never Stop Never Stopping. It is important to distinguish the fact that this new Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers is not meant for children, not only are the nuanced jokes going to most likely go right over their heads, but it is also rather dark and disturbing to an extent, and no parent is going to want to explain in the aftermath of what their child just watched. However, any more mature audience who enjoyed the show previously and likes the comedic antics of both Samberg and Mulaney is truly going to get an absolute gut puncher of a Comedy from this comeback.
There is a lot going for Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers, the only downfall of the Film comes from its re-watchability, which it lacks. There is nothing wrong with a Film that presents itself as a one and done, but when it is a Movie Comeback of a beloved Series, one would hope that the Movie would carry some longevity to it as well. The jokes are plentiful, the Voice Acting is top-notch, and the Plot is certainly cohesive, yet once you see the Film once, you will not find yourself itching for a repeat viewing, at least not anytime soon.
CHIP ‘N DALE RESCUE RANGERS arrives Friday, May 20, 2022 only on Disney+.
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