Reviews for Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers have started to come in, and so far, they’ve been surprisingly positive. With both an alienating premise and a format that hasn’t always proved successful for Disney in recent years, it had seemed like Rescue Rangers was being set up for failure. Based on early reviews, however, it would appear that the film might be better than some people thought.
Following its first trailer, Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers was quickly met with negativity from people. Instead of being either a continuation of the original cartoon or a full-fledged reboot, Rescue Rangers is a satirical take on animation that depicts Chip and Dale as actors living in the real world, and that was alienating for fans of the original cartoon. The fact that it was live-action was sighted as another problem, as Disney’s live-action adaptations of animated works have a history of receiving mixed to negative reception; Aladdin and The Lion King are both Rotten on Rotten Tomatoes with scores of 57% and 52%, respectively. While Mulan is Certified Fresh at 73%, it has a much lower audience score of 47%. Add in how the trailers didn’t make it look like the animation would blend well with live-action, and there was little reason to believe that Rescue Rangers would be a good movie.
Despite what many people thought, however, Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers has been met with largely positive reviews. At the time of writing, the movie has an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest-rated live-action Disney movie in recent years. Many reviews have praised the movie for having insightful meta-commentary and for simply being a funny film, overall. Here is what a lot of people have had to say about the movie:
“…it’s the funniest movie of the year so far, either animated or live-action. Or in this case both, since it ingeniously melds the two forms in the cleverest manner since Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”
“If only Andy Warhol had lived to see “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers,” the cinematic culmination of the Campbell’s soup can painter’s meta-commentary on the blurring of art and commerce.”
“Schaffer and the writers walk the line of making loving fun of the whole phenomenon of this kind of modern meta update, and the movie just ends up being so much fun that some of that cynicism may melt away.”
Of course, not all of the reviews have been positive. While the satirical elements have been praised, some reviewers have found that those elements fall flat and don’t go far enough, in addition to the comedy not being good enough to sustain an otherwise simple story. Below is what some of the less positive reviews have had to say about it:
“...ultimately, this isn't a movie that has much to say about Hollywood's current obsession with mining old IP for new content. Gregor and Mand find some glimmers of that, but Rescue Rangers soon becomes more focused on the bootlegging mystery. When it does that, it becomes a far more conventional movie, albeit with some fun noir flourishes.”
“Perhaps this is one they’ll grow with and appreciate over time. However, much like the show has diminished from pop culture consciousness, the film striving to honor it will likely fade from our collective memories too.”
“[But] big studios have begun to use references and Easter eggs as a crutch. An easy way to boost viewers’ serotonin, no matter what’s actually happening on screen or in the story… Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers similarly trades what could have been an engaging film for this easy serotonin, and it’s a shame.”
In conclusion, the 2022 Disney movie is getting rave reviews because people are enjoying its style of comedy and reverent meta-commentary. While those same elements have also been met with criticism for not going far enough, especially when Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers' story might not be the most engaging, the positives seem to be outweighing the negatives. All in all, how one feels about meta-humor appears to be the deciding factor in how they’ll ultimately receive the movie.