Thaindian News

By Satyen K. Bordoloi
Film: “Cats And Dogs 2″ (3D) Director: Brad Peyton; Cast: Betty Midler, James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Roger Moore; Rating:**1/2

This has to be a pet-lovers delight — watching canines, felines, mousy and birdie creatures imitating the best and worst of humans. As regards to a film and its elements, it may not hold much ground, filled as it is with clichés, but it is worth a watch just for the delight of seeing their antics.

It’s a world where the only thing that stands between “humans and total chaos” is, well, you guessed it, man’s best pet and friend - dogs. That world is about to be threatened by Kitty Galore (Betty Milder), the most evil feline to walk the planet who plans to release worldwide an ultrasonic sound ‘call of the wild’ that will make dogs go mad and attack humans. The only way out is for felines and canines to join force and save the day.

Ever since the surprise global success of the first part in 2001, the sequel was in the offing. The first part was done mostly with well trained dogs and cats. The second part has so much special effects, add to that 3D, that those who loved the first one, and even others, would be delighted.

There are so many references to phrases related to cats and dogs (’felinism’ to replace feminism, ‘Oh my dog’ instead of ‘oh my god’), references to ‘pet’ literature (Jack London’s masterpiece ‘Call of the Wild’), popular cinema (”Lethal Weapon”, “Silence of the Lambs” and James Bond flicks). While it adds to the fun ride at times, large doses can get boring.

Yet, if you relax your standards a bit, you might enjoy it.

It could, however, have been much better, if the analogy of enemies coming together to save the world had been played a little better. For example they could have shown humans warring among each other even as the felines and canines discard their age old enmity to come together for a common goal.

Despite these and many flaws, the effort, and the high-profile people associated with it, including ex-Bond Roger Moore who also dubs for it, itself deserves a huge round of applause from animal lovers worldwide.