Review: 'Rock Dog' is a modern mix of classic archetypes
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 89 minutes (~1.5 hours)
“Rock Dog” is 3D animated comedy that’s based on the Chinese graphic novel, “Tibetan Rock Dog”.
The film follows the adventures of the son of a mastiff martial artist who defends a village of sheep in the mountains from wolves. Unfortunately, his son is not as skilled in martial arts, and instead finds himself drawn to rock music, endangering his entire community.
“Rock Dog” is directed by Ash Brannon, with a story and screenplay by him too. Kurt Voelker is also credited for the screenplay and Zheng Jun is also credited for the story. It features the voice talents of Luke Wilson (Bodi), Eddie Izzard (Angus Scattergood), J.K. Simmons (Khampa), Lewis Black (Linnux), Kenan Thompson (Riff), Mae Whitman (Darma), Jorge Garcia (Germur), Matt Dillon (Trey), and Sam Elliot (Fleetwood). It is rated PG.
“Rock Dog” is one of those strange mashups of different genres and cultures in a film. It melds different elements together into a slightly oddball comedy that sees the convergence of music and martial arts. If you’ve never seen how a wu xia film would play out with musical elements, then “Rock Dog” is the place to start. It’s also got a pretty good voice cast among its ranks.
Highlights
Story of family and acceptance
At heart, “Rock Dog” is a family comedy, which means it’s about father and son wanting the best for each other. And just like all family comedies, it’s also about them learning how to accept each other. The taciturn father and energetic son may be classic archetypes, but they are still endearing characters in “Rock Dog”.
Inspirational message of achieving your dreams
Of course, it’s unlikely that every plucky lad will be able to set out and achieve instant stardom thanks to prodigious talent in music. But “Rock Dog”, with its distinctly Asian family values, shows us that regardless of where you’re from, it’s important to put your best foot forward in anything you do. It’s a poetic reminder to be altruistic and honest in all your dealings.
Mix of different cultural and societal elements
What sticks out the most is the very British Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard), who talks to an American-accented Bodi (Luke Wilson) who is clearly Asian. Rather than being jarring, this mix of cultures is more reflective of our modern world, and it’s perhaps one of the most inclusive animated films to date. When you bear in mind its origins as a Chinese graphic novel, it’s no surprise that “Rock Dog” draws its influences from so many different places.
Letdowns
Muddled and unfocused story
While Bodi’s journey is divided into several broad stages, it feels like it would have done better if it were spread out over a few movies, rather than being crammed into one film. Characters drop in and out purely due to plot requirements, rather than naturally being absent. The protagonist’s objective changes from time to time, which muddles the story.
Passive but sincere protagonist
Bodi means well but he doesn’t actually initiate most of the plot advances in the film. Things just happen to him, and he reacts to them. He’s good-natured but far too vanilla to be a memorable character. The only thing that we’ll really remember him for is his unique skill set.
“Rock Dog” is a modern mix of classic archetypes.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? No.
Score: 3.0/5
“Rock Dog” opens in cinemas:
– 9 March, 2017 (Singapore)
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter, having written for Police & Thief, Incredible Tales, Crimewatch, and Point of Entry. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find him on social media as Optimarcus and on his site. The views expressed are his own.
