Diary of a
Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012)
Review by Jude
Felton
With three
movies in as many years, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise shows no sign of
slowing down. The movies are based on the books by Jeff Kinney and, whilst I
have not read any of them, I know that there are seven in the series so far, so
I am guessing that there will be more films further down the line. The main
reason for this is that kids seem to love them! My eldest son, who is 7, is a
big fan of them, and these films are among a short list that he will sit
though; which is saying quite a bit, seeing that he has the attention span of a
Goldfish. I jest not. The Wimpy Kid movies just strike a nerve with him, and I
can see why. Whilst aimed squarely at the kids, these can quite easily be
enjoyed by adults as well.
The end of
the school year is upon us and the summer vacations are all set to go. In Diary
of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Greg Heffley has a mission, and it’s not an easy one.
First off, he wants to get together with Holly, the girl of his pre-pubescent
dreams, avoid being sent to military school by staying out of trouble and
landing himself a job, which affords him the chance to spend more time with
Holly.
Well, I say
get a job but in actual fact he pretends to have a job at the local country
club, of which he visits courtesy of Rowley, whose parents are members. So
begins a tale of various mishaps, often of the very funny variety, the bonds of
friendship and taking advantage of these friendships, more to Greg’s shame, and
not forgetting Greg’s two brothers; Rodrick, who is the oldest, and Manny, the
youngest. Both brothers cause as much trouble for Greg as humanly possible; no
one ever said having siblings was easy.
Although it
is not essential for you to have seen the previous two movies, Diary of a Wimpy
Kid and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, as you will soon get wrapped up in
the simple story, they do obviously flesh out more of the backstory between all
of the characters. To tell the truth the first two movies have blurred into one
for me, having walked in on both over the past few months, but they are
entertaining. Dog Days continues this and is a very funny film in places, with
plenty of scenes that had me cringing in embarrassment for Greg and his
misfortune.
These are
most definitely kid’s films, but they are the sort of film that you can sit
with your kids and enjoy as well. Dog Days is fun; plain and simple, and I had
a blast watching it with my kids. I know for a fact that this film will be
getting its fair share of plays at home. If one thing is for sure it is this,
when kids like a movie they will play that damned thing to death. You’ll find
yourself reciting dialogue in no time at all. It can’t be helped, it’s
unavoidable, and so you just have to accept it.
Along with
the movie, which is given fine treatment on Blu-ray, there’s also the
pre-requisite Digital Copy, the DVD and UltraViolet version, which is already linked
up on my lad’s tablet. Also, among the special features included on this
release is an all new animated story, entitled Class Clown, a gag reel, deleted
scenes and an audio commentary from director David Bowers. I’m not sure who
would watch it with the commentary, although I may at some point.
Regardless,
this is a terrific release that will keep the kids busy for ages, as well as
sucking the adults into its charm. Dogs Days is probably as predictable as you
might think it would be, but then again this is not the sort of movie to watch
if you are expecting thought-provoking drama; it’s light-hearted family
entertainment, and should be enjoyed as such.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is available now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from 20th Century Fox.
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