Hank, a loveable dog with a head full of dreams about becoming a samurai, sets off in search of his destiny.
Formerly titled “Blazing Samurai,” this film is loosely based on Mel Brooks’ classical film “Blazing Saddles,” starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. This is just a slapstick, animated version of “Blazing Saddles” targeting the kids; nothing new and exciting to this source material as they are trying to reintroduce the storyline. This movie was not on my radar, but I decided to watch this anyway due to my love for animated movies. The film features the leading voices of Michael Cera and Samuel L. Jackson.
“Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” centers on a down-on-his-luck but kind-hearted beagle named Hank (Michael Cera) who finds himself in a town called Kakamucho, a village full of cats who need a hero to defend them from a ruthless villainous cat, Ika Chu (Ricky Gervais), whose ultimate plan is to wipe their village off the map. With the help and training provided by his reluctant teacher Jimbo (Samuel L. Jackson), Hank must learn how to fulfill his destiny to become the town’s greatest samurai to save the city and its residents from the wrath of Ika Chu.
Actor Michael Cera provides the voice of Hank, a beagle who finds himself in Kakamucho and wants to be an aspiring samurai. In contrast, Oscar-nominee Samuel L. Jackson voices Jimbo, a tuxedo cat and washed-up samurai who becomes Hank’s reluctant mentor. Cera and Jackson do their jobs perfectly as they are having fun since all they ever wanted was friendship and social acceptance, with their characters showing their horrible past together. The chemistry between these two is just as heartwarming and enduring, which is the only thing likable about this film.
The principal directors of the film are Rob Minkoff and Mark Koetsier, with the additional direction being handled by Chris Bailey. To those familiar with director Rob Minkoff, he famously directed Disney’s “The Lion King” in 1994, which remains the highest-grossing 2D animated film worldwide, during his tenure at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He also directed the first two “Stuart Little” films and “Mr. Peabody and Sherman,” which were produced by DreamWorks Animation in 2014. Before getting started on “The Lion King,” he directed two out of three “Roger Rabbit” shorts under Steven Spielberg’s supervision based on the highly-successful film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” And yes, that’s an impressive body of work.
With the direction being taken care of by the hands of Minkoff and Koetsier, the film and its plot points take heavy influences from Mel Brooks’s “Blazing Saddles,” several wuxia films (like DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda” series), and some western movies to portray the film accurately. However, this film lacks a good storyline and characters as some elements are heavily borrowed from DreamWorks’ “Kung-Fu Panda” and “Puss in Boots” due to its setting, the animation, and the characters. Nevertheless, the CGI animation and visuals are good, providing some laugh-out-loud CGI Garfield-flavored ingredients and colors. The only encouraging part is the 2D animation sequences, which are pretty wild and startles the young viewers at the edge of their seats.
Aside from the animation, the comedy, the Easter eggs, and the fourth wall references are hilarious for both kids and adults. While they are certainly funnier, they are what fill the gaps in those plotlines, which is more interesting to see for specific audiences. The scriptwriting is not so great as the overabundance of comedy holds these two together back, and some of the fourth walls being mentioned by the characters are ludicrous. On the inside, what is troubling is that some voice actors aren’t helping themselves despite their best voice-acting efforts. They seem too lazy and overwhelmed by the lack of character development, though only vocal performances from Cera, Jackson, Brooks, Yeoh, and Takei manage to save the day, which is very pleasant to hear. In addition, the music by composer Bear McCreary is totally out of this world.
Part of the storyline also involves the villain Ika Chu, who swears to destroy the village and its people. As for Gervais himself, he makes the character exquisitely hilarious, but his ways of getting in character for this one are underrated and are ultimately disappointing for my viewing taste buds. He didn’t even come close to making his character all dramatic and self-motivating. Still, perhaps he’s reluctant to do so under the directors’ orders to make this film as entertaining and comedic as possible. Nevertheless, he is a significant asset to the storyline and everything that occurs when it all comes down to this.
Also part of the cast are actors George Takei as Ika Chu’s henpecked assistant and Chu’s army leader Ohga, Djimon Hounsou as the giant Sumo wrestling cat Sumo, Michelle Yeoh as Yuki, Kylie Kuioka as Yuki’s rebellious daughter and wannabe samurai Emiko, and Gabriel Iglesias as clumsy calico cat Chuck. Lastly, the film includes the legendary actor Mel Brooks who supplies the voice of Shogun, the ruler of the Kakamucho and Jimbo’s close friend, despite his short screen time for him. Brooks also serves as an executive producer of the film, as any “Blazing Saddles” production would not be possible without him.
Clocking in at 97 minutes, “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” is a fun-filled movie for kids, but not so much for adults. I don’t like or hate it; it’s just not worth the hype for that kind of entertainment. This is a guilty pleasure for me. It’s a silly, whimsical animated movie with lots of laughs, bruises, and surprises. I only admired the direction coming from Minkoff and Koetsier and the vocal performances of Cera, Jackson, Brooks, Yeoh, and Takei, respectively. They’re the only actors who can save the day regardless of how inconsistent the plotlines, twists, and pacing flow throughout the film. Nevertheless, it’s a fun flick the kids will enjoy, but I would choose a different movie, or better yet, go back to the original “Blazing Saddles” again.
Now available on Digital HD and on Blu-ray™ and DVD October 18th
