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| Mr. Peabody & Sherman 3D |
Story: A clever dog adopts a cute boy. Together they time-travel to experience history! Their adventures coupled with the unusual father-son bonding comprise the story.
Review: Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) is a super-intelligent dog who is way too smart for people to adopt him. Sadly, his sharp mind and sarcasm render him lonely. If you follow The Big Bang Theory, you'll identify Mr Peabody with Sheldon Cooper.
The dog puts his intelligence to noble use and becomes a 'Nobel Prize-winning' scientist who owns a swanky duplex in New York and invents a time-travelling machine. He adopts a young boy Sherman (Max Charles) in order to give the latter something he never had while growing up - a home. Just like his father, Sherman too is a geek who gets bullied by Penny (Ariel Winter) at school for 'knowing too much'.
In spite of being forbidden to enter the time machine without daddy's permission, in order to impress Penny, Sherman grants her access to it. All hell breaks loose when Penny gets transported to ancient Egypt through it. Can the boys get her back to the present day?
With its unconventional 'dog adopting a boy' st
ory, sweet humour and cutesy characters, the film is likeable and manages to make you smile throughout. While it begins beautifully and has its unique novel moments, the second half is moderately funny and succumbs to predictability. The adventures with historical figures too get a tad unimaginative as the story proceeds. The focus shifts from the father-son bonding to Sherman-Penny camaraderie, making the film seem formulaic.
Nonetheless, kids are bound to love the characters and their wacky antics. We particularly liked the funny imitation of Greek king Agamemnon and twist to the Trojan horse episode. Gandhi and his peace-loving persona are featured too. Mona Lisa's banter, with her celebrated painter Leonardo da Vinci, is hilarious. At heart, the film looks at history with a bout of fun.