Open Season (2006)

I still remember that one time my brother tried to convince me to watch Open Season. I was about 13 but I was supposed to meet my friends (I still had some of those at the time) so I passed. I sure didn't miss anything as Open Season is as dreadful as its visuals.

Boog (voiced by Martin Lawrence) is a domesticated grizzly bear leading a happy and peaceful life until he meets Elliot (voiced by Ashton Kutcher), a fast-talking one-horned wild deer. Because of the deer, he finds himself stranded in the woods with Elliot just before hunting season begins and must learn how to survive.

Starting from the fact that there really isn't anything original about the film's premise, the plot is basically non-existent, it's boring to say the least and it gets more and more pointless as it moves forward. It's the typical story about loneliness, where two misfits find each other and learn to rely on each other. 

And because of its characters, especially the fast-talking deer that never shuts up, Open Season reminds a lot of a famous animated film, Shrek. Unfortunately for this film, the characters aren't as interesting nor as funny as those from that series. They range from one-dimensional to zero-dimensional, the latter being the majority. In spite of the lack of characterization, some of the characters manage to make an impression --those being the Scottish squirrels. Only because of their accent, though.

Sony Pictures Releasing

Comedy-wise, Open Season is another failure. Some of the jokes are funny-ish but most of them fall flat. Given the storyline, I was expecting sitcom humour. While there is such humour, it's not even your average sitcom humour. It just doesn't work.

The animation is easily the best aspect of the film. Though it has aged terribly and it's nothing great compared to its peers from other major animated studios, it's pretty good. The people who worked on it didn't deserve this film.