The Flintstones

Based on the 1960s animated series, The Flintstones follows John Goodman’s Fred Flintstone as his friendship with Rick Moranis’ Barney Rubble is tested after he receives a major promotion at work. Filmmaker Brian Levant, working from a script by Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein, and Steven E. de Souza, delivers a blisteringly-paced adaptation that ultimately does fare best in its fun, entertaining opening stretch, as the novelty of The Flintstones‘ meticulously-conceived live-action atmosphere is impossible to resist, certainly, and it’s clear, as well, that the inherently-compelling vibe is enhanced by the various performances – with Goodman’s engaging turn as the volatile protagonist matched by an eclectic supporting cast that includes Elizabeth Taylor, Halle Berry, and Kyle MacLachlan. (The latter is especially captivating as the movie’s predictably broad villain.) There’s little doubt, then, that The Flintstones‘ slow-but-steady descent into irrelevance is triggered by a meandering midsection overflowing with egregiously familiar tropes and conventions (it is, for example, hard to work up much interest in or enthusiasm for the fake break-up between Fred and Barney), while the picture eventually progresses into a thoroughly underwhelming and uninvolving third act that ensures the whole thing concludes on a distressingly negative note – which finally does cement its place as a bright, colorful, and entirely exhausting endeavor that’ll surely fare best among small children.

** out of ****

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