Munk'd or Punk'd?

Munk'd or Punk'd? Opening with "Bad Day," originally by Daniel Powter, I found myself laughing at the high pitched version of this Billboard hit. But, this film hardly reached the expectations that were held to it by fans of the classic trio.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks" was originally a childhood classic, created by Ross Bagdasarian in 1958, creating memories for families and money for Liberty Records. Originally a music group, almost like the Gorillaz, it continued it's line of fire. It bloomed into the animated television show Alvin and the Chipmunks in later years, various made-for-television movies, and finally 2007's 3-D modernized version.

The original Chipmunk voices were played by Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., and Janice Karman, his son and wife. However, in the film, with Jesse McCartney playing Theodore; Matthew Gray Grubler playing Simon; and Justin Long playing the voice of Alvin, you could hardly hear the difference.

After the beginning, laughs in the theater were sparse. The only people that seemed entertained were the young children and elderly. It is quite a pity that such a classic was turned into a blob of poor directing, poor humor, and lastly, underrated potential. I was surprised no one had left the theater.

The plot did have potential, as almost any classic does. I daresay that I have never heard of a plot of talking chipmunks becoming famous, with the exception of the original Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. With such a unique plot, you'd think that they would have gone a little more out of the box. Although it was aimed for a younger audience that fit with the PG viewing, some of the humor was above their age level. The rest of the humor? A lot was attempted, but very little succeeded.

Recreated in 3D, this version attracted customers young and old. After only 14 days, it scored a whopping $112,374,569 in the box office. Beating National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and beat by I am Legend, which had nearly $53 million more than Alvin and the gang.

Maybe next time when the producers get together to recreate a classic, they'll realize it's potential; and use it.

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