There is more merit to the new franchise than you realize and I think you're not giving them enough credit.
First of all, I notice no significant difference in the way the chipmunks themselves are portrayed. Alvin in the cartoon was scheming, conniving, and could be an all-around jerk who pushed his brothers around, yet he also had a heart of gold and would do anything to help his brothers in a pinch. Simon was brainy, a nerd, and clumsy, but loyal to a fault, including following Alvin along with any scheme he was bold (or dumb) enough to try. Theodore was sweet and caring, and naive, but not an idiot and was the glue that held Alvin and Simon together.
Those qualities presented themselves in the new characters, with none of them really ever acting out of character.
Of course, Alvin does use a lot of next-gen phrases, like "buzz-kill", "P-Diddy", and "Bow-chicka-wow-wow", but he's always been the "cool" one who tries hard to fit in with the "now" crowd, sometimes at the expense of his brothers. Remember in the cartoon when he would often say, "This is the 80s!", trying to imply that Dave was holding them back? He's got the same attitude in this film, though unvoiced. Simon and Theodore certainly didn't pick up any of those traits, though Simon did say "My bad" once(which nerds, like me, do in order that we don't appear *too* socially inept).
Finally, you are an adult. Your perceptions have changed over the years, and your expectations for the Chipmunks are narrowed because you're comfortable with their old appearance and don't want them to change. However, *nobody* remembered them before 2007, including me. I was a big fan as a kid, but over the years I lost track of them and moved on to other things. The new movie brought me back and led to me rediscovering the old show through the magic of the internet. And I'm not the only one. Many friends and relatives with kids now are big Chipmunks fans solely because of the new movies. They had never heard of those characters before they saw the new flick, and now they love both the new show and the old one equally.
If you can't appreciate the new trilogy for anything else, at least be grateful that it rekindled the fanbase and added untold thousands of new young fans who are keeping the show alive for future generations.
reply
share