Undescribable Perfection

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I gotta say when I was really young Alvin and the chipmunks used to be my favourite live action movie and I used to enjoy it alot.I am presuming the hate is coming from people who grew up with the original alvin and the chipmunks.The music was good, the movie was funny and cute. Overall good movie if you want to get intrested in Alvin and the chipmunks.

I don't understand the bad ratings of that movie. Maybe i can explain it from the point of a kid, which really likes this movie. I am now an 18 year old Man who is very interested in movies, so when Alvin and the chipmunks came in the theaters i was about 10 years old. And for me and my brother it was an adventure to see that movie. People often forget that there are movies who only exist to entertain kids and not the critical eyes of film interested man who only likes good films for example bird man and so on. This is a movie for kids which is very entertaining and also brings back the wonderful feeling of Christmas in that time. It also learns much about money and friends. I can say that the message of this movie is to stay on the ground and with your family and that you should not go there where the money is. After that movie i became a big fan of the chipmunks. I was surprised that it was that good, my brother and i also always listened to the songs of them. And thats what it about in this movie, its not interesting mystical or something, it is a wonderful entertaining film for kids and the film also contains some good messages.(Sorry for my bad English, i am Austrian)

As someone who grew up on shows such as Alvin and the Chipmunks, I could rip this film apart for all the flaws, removal of character and overall enjoyment that the original cartoon had. But I'll try to contain my frustration at this heinous film and look at it with some objectivity.What's the pastrami? Three Chipmunks with a talent for singing named Alvin, Simon and Theodore live in the forest leading a less than stellar life. This all changes when their tree is cut down with them in it and taken to Los Angeles. There they come across Dave, a struggling songwriter who has a tough time getting his songs green-lighted by his boss Ian Hawke. This all changes when he finds that the Chipmunks have a natural talent for singing and therefore takes them on to help him make music, unaware that his evil boss is planning to work them practically to death so as to make the most money.So, what's fundamentally wrong with this movie? One, it's live action. Why oh why is everything live action these days? The great thing about animation is that characters can be drawn to different styles and in forms that make the more appealing to the eye. The idea usually is to incorporate human features to make the characters relatable and dare I say give them a cute factor.In live action from, they look like dancing, singing rodents that really do put you off the whole thing. They're not designed well and it really doesn't look that good.Next, the story, which is about as 100% recycled as you can get. The usual 'Trouble in Paradise' story has been done a million times before and will probably be done a million times again. Next, the characters, which are dated husks of their former selves. In the show the attachment of the characters to Dave like a father makes up a majority of the show's charm and likability, as well as having personalities that seemed really quite timeless because their design and character traits had been a constant since their original conception back in the 1950's. In this, they get famous, Dave disappears for a while whilst the Chipmunks are worked to within an inch of their lives to record and cover songs. At the same time, their attitudes have been updated to conform to what was currently 'hip' at the time, taking on a rapper persona with the Hoodies and Backward caps. This is not a good choice as come 5 or 10 years down the line this whole fad would have shifted and these will be just lost in a time that people will look back on and laugh. I dare say already the who thing is rather dated, and it's only been 8 years!Now the songs I won't criticise because I'm not here to judge music. Although I personally hate every single one of the songs played or covered in this movie, I suppose they are trying to appeal to what was 'hip' at the time. But musical tastes are something that differs from person to person so I'm not going to condemn nor support the soundtrack on my own opinions. If you happen to like them that's okay with me.Overall, I seriously can't recommend this film, for fans of the original Chipmunks or the new audience in general. The story is recycled, the characters are dated and uninteresting, and the fact that it's live action is probably the biggest sin because it doesn't make them look cute or relatable like they were in the original. If you want to see the Chipmunks do what they do best, watch the originals from the 1980's as this is not a good introduction to the characters or the story at all!

Just like the cartoon, this is an adorable movie about chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore, who meets frustrated songwriter David Seville (Jason Lee). Together, they set out fame as singers, hoping to make a positive impact in their lives. However, the unscrupulous record executive, Ian Hawke (David Cross), wants to exploit the Chipmunks, directly breaking up the family in the process.The movie does pick up the pace at first when the chipmunks first appear on screen and runs into Seville, ending up being his house mates. The chipmunks' singing were pretty fun to listen to; however, the story's pace looses steam somewhere in the middle, where the chipmunks lose their spunk and let the fame get the best of them. The story basically dragged on from there.The voice actors who played the chipmunks did a fine job, but Jason Lee wasn't very good as Seville and clearly wasn't right for the role. I would have liked to see him show more emotion and surprised expressions when he first spots three singing chipmunks (it's not everyday you see three, tiny singing critters). Unfortunately, he showed a disinterest in the role and lacked substance overall.This movie has its fun moments, mostly in the beginning, but not a terribly great movie overall. I'll watch this once, and then find something else to spend other Saturday nights with.Grade C-