Space Chimps

There’s little doubt that Space Chimps strikes virtually all of the wrong notes right from the get-go, as the film has been aggressively geared towards small children to such an extent that there’s hardly anything here designed to capture and hold the interest of adults. The low-rent animation proves effective at exacerbating the film’s myriad of problems, and although there are a few strong voice performances within the supporting cast (eg Patrick Warburton’s scene-stealing turn as a pompous chimp), Space Chimps ultimately possesses the feel of a quickie straight-to-video cash-grab. The storyline follows the three title characters (Andy Samberg’s Ham III, Cheryl Hines’ Luna, and Warburton’s Titan) as they’re blasted into deep space on a top-secret mission, with the bulk of the proceedings devoted to their efforts at toppling a far-away planet’s ruthless dictator (Jeff Daniels’ Zartog). Screenwriters Kirk DeMicco and Rob Moreland have infused Space Chimps with a myriad of pop-culture gags and references, yet it inevitably goes without saying that the joke-to-laugh ratio remains hopelessly low from start to finish – with the one exception to this an admittedly chuckle-worthy line from Titan in which he laments his very existence and wonders aloud, “why wasn’t I born a rabbit or a squirrel or an art-history major? Nobody expects great things from them.” And while Samberg has been awfully funny in his various other projects (including 2007’s woefully underrated Hot Rod), the actor offers up a relentlessly over-the-top performance that’s consistently grating and effectively heightens the feeling that the movie has been crafted with an eye solely towards younger viewers.

*1/2 out of ****