Why Over the Hedge is Surprisingly Good

funding for shaper Atlas is provided by surf shark VPN tuned until the end to find out about their amazing service gotta be honest you guys I was joking about my obsessive desire to analyze over the hedge these past few months truth be told this is a movie that I never really had a ton to say about I just really liked it as a kid and that was about it and as an adults I still think it's pretty good it's not deceptively amazing like Megamind or a true cinematic masterpiece gifted to us by the gods like Shrek 2 it's just a pretty good movie that I like and that's a decent accomplishment cuz a lot of [ __ ] from my childhood whether I liked it or not back then does not hold up today by any standards so over the head should honestly be proud of being a merely good movie so yeah don't bother buckling your seat belts for this analysis because it's not really an analysis at all just a nice laid-back review of why I enjoy over the hedge and why all you haters can't stop me for the uninitiated over the hedge came out in 2006 and was inexplicably not nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature despite being far better than every single one of the nominees that year I mean maybe I haven't seen Monster House in a while yeah this is one of those DreamWorks movies that just kind of came and went it did fine critically fine financially and audiences seem to like it just fine it wasn't fine enough for an Oscar nomination unlike these apparent cinematic masterpieces and its box office wasn't fine enough for a sequel according to Jeffrey Katzenberg's which is honestly a darn shame I would have loved to see more of these characters especially since Madagascar got all this since Madagascar 2 was even funnier than the original I think in over the hedge too could have gone in the same direction this is just a fun enjoyable movie that I would have loved to see more of way better than Madagascar 1 anyway but that's enough beating around the bush get it bush that is a synonym for hedge haha hilarious joke ok video talks comedy is subjective and not everyone will find this movie funny and all that whatever but I do damn it okay sometimes hammy burps and I hate that just like any sensible human being but that's about it I think some of the jokes in this movie are actually pretty well-written and enjoyable and movie takes some really fun slights at everything from the absurdity of hyper consumerism and the perils of an ultra capitalist society to the THX logo a lot of the humor in this movie is just so over-the-top and absurd that it slays me I love the recurring gag of stuff being able to be seen from space it was funny the first time with the chips since the animals are experiencing this amazing new sensation for the first time and it was funny with the sky beam at the ends they build on the joke by showing it from Earth then from the galaxy that's just good callback comedy plain and simple oh wait a minute I'm just now being informed that this first joke is in fact because it doesn't have any misery being spread comedy is apparently only funny when misery is being spread I learned that from someone who spreads misery every single time he tries to be funny anyway what really makes the comedy in this movie stand out is the vocal delivery this cast is absolutely pitch perfect with Bruce Willis being a surprisingly natural fit for a wisecracking raccoon steve carell hamming it up as the squirrel whose name escapes me at this moment William Shatner killing it as the possum who turns plain dead into the art form it desperately deserves to become and Garry Shandling fitting a neurotic turtle insanely well I have to say it's really disappointing that many of these actors don't do a ton of voice roles in major animated movies they all bring a tons of their characters here and none of them are annoying or out of place it's not like modern animated movies which all star James Corden who might be the most annoying human being on the planet I really want to live in an alternate dimension where Garry Shandling is still alive any voices every animated character in existence while James Corden just works in a tollbooth but I guess at this point I'd settle for a dimension where I can go outside what if we have a potential pandemic on our hands oh oh but yeah these voice actors turn the funny lines even funnier plus they even make them more simple and mundane dialogue surprisingly memorable the great news is that even though it's animated you're still hearing Shatner and all the other actors whose eccentric quirks really shine through in their vocal performances if you're concerned that the jokes don't work because you're only hearing the actors and not seeing them maybe that's a sign that you need to shut up and listen and not only are the voice actors great but the slap sticky action is an absolute blast both the wagon chase and the verminator truck bear battle chase epic battle of cosmic proportions are so damn fun to watch also the pop-culture references in this movie are actually pretty funny mostly because they're pretty infrequent and not jammed down our throats unlike some movies I know overall I'd say that Verne the Garry Shandling turtle is my second favorite character his neurotic tendencies an extreme caution make for some solid comedy and I love his interactions with RJ the Bruce Willis raccoon my third favorite character their relationship is somewhat akin to Woody and Buzz with a de facto leader getting replaced by the cool new guy in town but the characters are distinct enough in terms of personality and motivation to the point where it becomes its own thing oh wait a minute you didn't listen to my last sentence at all did you you're wondering who my favorite character in the movie is stay tuned for now let's talk about first things first why is the soundtrack such fire they got Ben Folds to record several original songs for this movie and I honestly have no clue why but they're great I'm truly shocked by how enjoyable they are they fit each scene really well and I literally had hi stuck in my head for the last 14 years please help me I want to be free of this pain additionally I think the animation holds up way better than has any right to particularly on the environments the forest looks vibrant suburbia looks enticing the food makes me so hungry the animation on humans even looks pretty passable by modern standards protip don't go back and rewatch b-movie you will vomit one cool thing about this movie is that the humans are almost always shown to us from the perspective of the animals it's pretty neat attention to detail I love how the movie can also portray what's going on with the story or characters through imaginary logos like when RJ is hyperventilating into a bag of oh noes little details like that just make this movie feel so vibrant and fun and of course we must discuss the scene that single-handedly changed cinema hammy sped up adventure the grandfather of the Quicksilver scenes and that scene from the sonic movie no seriously I'm not even joking about that the director legit said that they took inspiration from over the hedge I finally feel vindicated hammy slowdown sequence is much simpler in its execution compared to all the moving pieces and its spiritual successors but it has a nice peaceful charm to it honestly it kind of blew my mind as a kid that a movie could play with time concepts quite like this I just never had seen anything like it before and it leads to one great finale where this ahem camel colored Schick Hydro Bhat annihilates all three villains in one fell swoop it's so damn good anyway let's talk about something that many people consider to be not so good even though they are incorrect in their assessment here is why okay so a ton of people tend to take issue with storylines that involve a character lying to the other characters for their own benefit only to have the lie revealed leading to a big emotional blowout and eventually the liar comes back to save the day and all is forgiven it's a popular staple of kids movies and DreamWorks in particular uses this trope way too often but just because it's been done before doesn't mean you can't try it again and make it not suck think about it what's the worst thing about this trope the actual argument scene itself this is why a bug's life is actually kind of bad don't at me because it pours so much energy into this dumbass fight between flick and the other ants who berate him for bringing back circus bugs instead of warriors but like at this point it doesn't matter what kind of bugs they are having them fight the grasshoppers off is not the plan the giant fake bird is the plan but no we can't possibly use this giant fake bird anymore because that plan came from a liar obviously this means this pretty brilliant plan is also alive somehow you see the problem this movie is forgoing logic and common sense in favor of melodrama this forced irrelevant argument is pure melodrama plain and simple over the hedge on the other hand is regular drama hold the mellow the argument and the banishing the liar [ __ ] is not the focus the focus here is the aftermath of the betrayal Rjay escapes before the gang has a chance to berate him for lying and the focus then shifts to the characters getting caught and lamenting the fact that they trusted him this is followed by RJ lamenting the fact that he betrayed the only family he ever had it's actually a well done profoundly sad moment this movie doesn't get nearly enough credit for taking a worn out trope like this and reworking it so that it actually works within the context of the story and one of the best parts is that the anger the other characters feel towards RJ is still there it's just adapted into a hilarious manic action sequence for RJ's trying to get back into the van only to constantly get thrown back out it's a gold none of the storyline is presented in a tedious manner even if it is predictable I even like a lot of the scenes earlier on where RJ is conflicted about his duplicitous scheme Kevon cuz when you feel like a dirtbag it's because you're a dirtbag right so just own it just say it out loud I am a dirtbag that works even better since the animals do have a typical big blowout scene but it's with Vern the person who actually does have their best interests at heart even if he said some mean things in the heat of the moment I love movies that can say yeah some tropes suck here they are again except actually good this time so yeah I think the dramatic stuff in this movie actually really works it's not amazing or anything there's nothing here that'll make you cry but it's better than any emotional scene from the Madagascar trilogy so yeah sorry I'm being so mean to Madagascar y'all know I enjoy it but this movie is just a lot better and more cohesive I'm sorry and if you don't believe me then don't worry I've saved the best for last put your fins together for the one the only the Highness flying is rooting astuteness character around his name is this huge guy carrying the real character Dwayne Lafontant aka the verminator [Music] that's right the verminator gets his own segments any pretence of this video being a legitimate thought-provoking analysis has just been vermin ated the verminator is my pride and joy every second is gleefully absurd exterminators on screen he absolutely steals the show brought to life with the impeccable vocal delivery of Thomas Haden Church best known as the villain of spider-man 3 no the other one no the other one no the a speaking of spider-man 3 can we talk about the fact that over the hedge actually juggles three villains better than spider-man three Vinson has this place in the story as RJ's motivation to get the food and glad this is the main human opposed to the animals shenanigans also GLaDOS is pretty funny and a good antagonist not gonna lie this is exactly why I called the exterminator to kill them before they get hurt like this but that's not importance because she doesn't have an associate's degree from verm tech do you in fact have an associate's degree from firm tech literally every single one of this man's lines is hilarious I personally guarantee that there will not be a living thing at this party not only is the entire film enlivened and elevated when he comes on screen but I don't even have a coherent thought to end the sentence with because I got distracted watching clips of him in the movie he's just that captivating he takes his job so insanely seriously and his unique exceptional brand of manic energy makes for one outstanding antagonist much like the greatest movie villains of all time he's not in the movie for very long but he makes the most of every single scene also for some reason I really like the way that he says get it right here at the ends the delivery honestly cracks me up so yeah this movie has the verminator and people still have the audacity to call it bad what the hell is wrong with these people nothing it's fine to dislike a movie as long as you agree that the verminator is a gift from God himself because after all it's only a movie [Music] yeah I really like over the hedge however opinions are valid and I really don't care if you hate it I don't care if you hate mega minds I don't care if you like Shark Tale literally I could care less just stick to your own opinions and let other people have theirs with this movie I'm not on some grand quest to show people what's neglected worth like with Shrek 4 or explain why it's a subversive masterpiece like with mega Minds wait a minute it's averted the typical hallmarks of the lier revealed storyline and the verminator is a masterpiece of a character holy [ __ ] this is a subversive masterpiece everybody bow down to your Lord and Savior the esteemed and profoundly misunderstood over the hedge as someone who isn't afraid to look at stuff from my childhood and say yeah I kind of hate this now trust me when I say that over the hedge really doesn't have this problem it's a joy to revisit I wouldn't call it one of my favorite movies or anything and I wouldn't even say it's an amazing film but it's certainly a good one it's got solid emotional beats and comedy vibrant animation and excellent voice cast what's not to like if you're looking for a fun romp down memory lane give this one a rewatch I'd say it holds up pretty well but I'll be the first to admit it's not the most nutritious thing in the world it's a fun snack but I think I'm ready for the main course there's another mid two thousands animated movie about animals and how they interact with the food humans creates something so rich and palatable and deceptively outstanding that it not only holds up as a film I loved as a child but it stands tall as one of my all-time favorite films as an adult and that movie is ratatouille I was gonna do a fake-out joke there but then I looked it up and food fight actually was not a mid-2000s movie so the joke wouldn't work so yeah it's rabbit to me I'm gonna review ratatouille next get excited but first a word from our sponsor surf shark VPN and incredible products that encrypts your data and protects you online surf shark VPN allows you to access geo restricted content meaning you can trick your browser into thinking you're in another country thus allowing you to access content you couldn't get otherwise that way you don't have to Stickley travel to another country to watch that country's exclusive Netflix content for example you can enjoy region-locked content without having to go over any hedges you can also use surf shark and it's hack lock system to get alerts anytime your email address or password is compromised hack lock scans various databases of leaked information and notifies its users if their data is found so they can take action which is an absolutely invaluable feature surf shark is also totally unlimited meaning you can use it on as many devices as you like even all at 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Channel: Schaffrillas Productions

Views: 2,132,676

Keywords: Schaffrillas Productions, Over the Hedge, DreamWorks

Id: 6JdXf9jNCLI

Length: 16min 7sec (967 seconds)

Published: Wed May 20 2020