Review of Joey

Introduction

I couldn`t sum up the film summary better myself. A boy and his baby kangaroo, Joey, head into the big bad city to re-unite Joey with his parents after naughty poachers caught them for their own amusement. Not stopping at reuniting the baby with its parents, Billy sets about to free the other captive kangaroos and raise their plight on national television. On his adventures he meets a neglected diplomat`s daughter who joins his mission.

Video

Presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, the high quality is something I found surprising. For a low budget Australian kids film made five years ago the image is something a lot of recent Hollywood blockbusters could learn lessons from. Bar the odd instance of dirt, the image is clear and vibrant. The scenes are well lit and composed with dynamic use of colour throughout. Detail is also very high and it`s hard to find fault with the transfer. Nice to see a kids film anamorphically enhanced too.

Audio

Presented with just a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack, Joey sounds remarkably bouyant throughout. Lots of sound effects and upbeat music keep a lively tempo throughout. The rears get little workout if any with most of the sound and music spread across the front three without any problem whatsoever. Dialogue is clear too.

Features

Static menus with just one feature:

• Original Theatrical Trailer (2:03) - The usual overlong trailer which will spoil things if watched first.

Apart from English, the film is dubbed in German, French, Italian, Spanish and Swedish. There are no subtitles.

Conclusion

The slightly hammed acting with sound effects are present and all in all it`s not too bad to watch. The story is simple enough to grasp and the film has a happy ending. Yes it`s cliched; who won`t figure out that eventually the single father with daughter won`t get it together with the single mother and her son? Well, if you`re younger than 12 you might not, but this is the audience the film is going for. The script is not without its comedic elements and even I cast a smile or two.

Joey is wholesome family entertainment. Bearing this in mind, the older crowd aren`t going to find this appealing except to keep the youngsters entertained for 90 minutes or so. If you have pre-teen children that need to be kept amused, it`s worthwhile having.