Dolittle is a film with the participation of Robert Downey Jr. – our Iron Man in the Marvel universe. For me, I think this film is more suitable for children than adults, because the scenario is quite simple and understandable.
Dolittle is holed up in his mansion, unable to recover from the death of his wife who was lost at sea during one of her expeditions to the remote corners of the world. Now with a long scraggly beard, Dolittle, as a hermit, spends his days hiding from the world, chattering away with his animal friends, a duck, a polar bear, a gorilla, an ostrich, etc. His exile is interrupted by two visitors who show up on the same day: Tommy Stubbins, he bears a wounded squirrel to Dolittle’s door, and Lady Rose, the daughter of Queen Victoria, who summons Dolittle to the Palace to help save the ailing Queen Victoria. If Dolittle doesn’t help the Queen, then the land on which his manor sits will be taken away from him, and his menagerie dispersed right in the middle of hunting season. After examining the Queen, Dolittle suspects she is being poisoned by her sinister ministers. The only antidote is in the blossoms off the Eden Tree, found on only one island, so he and his merry band of mammals sail off into the ocean to retrieve it, hopefully in time to save the Queen. The ship stops off at an island known to be inhabited by bandits, led by, who also has a vendetta against Dolittle. The plot thickens. And thickens again. Therefore, in his journey to the island to find the antidote, Dolittle has to overcome many challenges, from fighting with the tiger to keeping the whole team safe from the dragon. Through the journey, Dolittle learns a lot of things about friendship as well as accepting the past as a part of his soul.
Like I said above, the scenario doesn’t have anything new, but the message the film sends is meaningful. Although focusing on Dolittle’s journey to save the live of Queen Victoria, Dolittle is a good film about the relationship between human and animals. Animals, in the film, are not only animals, which are saved by Dolittle and his wife. They are also human’s friends, and they help Dolittle a lot in his journey to find the antidote and teach him many lessons about overcoming life’s obstacles, forgetting the past and living for the future. Dolittle is also a warning to humans when animal hunting issues become too serious in the modern world. The implication in the film is that killing animals is killing human’s best friends.
From an adult’s perspective, I feel like this film is soft and enough to chill on the weekend. However, if you let your children or your younger siblings watch this movie, you will need to pay attention to some points. While the overall story is told in the spirit of fun and adventure, the movie deals with themes of loss and abandonment, overcoming grief through helping others, and finding a family among friends. While communication, compassion, and teamwork are all on display, there’s also more violence and peril than you might expect in a family film – including knives, cannons, guns, poison, and animal attacks – but much of it feels cartoonish. A hunting accident plays out with an anti-gun sentiment: A warm-hearted human character accidentally shoots a squirrel and then sets out to save its life. While there’s some gently rude humor, like animal bottoms and farts, parents may be most shocked by a scene in which the doctor appears to unblock a creature’s intestinal tract through its anus. It is quite…terrible.
In conclusion, Dolittle is not an amazing movie, but it is good enough for you and family as well as friends to watch on the weekend for relaxing after a tired and stressful week.