‘Horton’ lacks Seuss’ charm

In theaters

HORTON HEARS A WHO! directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, 88 minutes, rated G.

The latest movie based on one of Dr. Seuss’ illustrated children’s books is Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino’s “Horton Hears a Who!,” which really is two movies in one – but let’s not consider that a bargain just yet. Some elements in this computer-generated extravaganza are a shade too bargain-basement to suit, especially when compared to the richness of its source material.

While none of those qualities extends to the beautifully detailed animation, which successfully captures the bizarre quirkiness of Seuss’ world, the same can’t be said for the awkward way screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio try to bridge the gap between Seuss’ work and their own. What we have here is a movie that shrewdly takes as much of Seuss’ words and story as possible – that’s the good news – before it fleshes out the slim story with less-creative elements.

And that’s the problem. The world Seuss created in 1954 for “Horton Hears a Who!” is timeless. It is, in fact, without a time. It might have been created by Seuss as a reaction to McCarthyism, but its strengths nevertheless exist in imagination. So the idea that the filmmakers have updated the story with a host of pop-culture references – from global warming to the addition of the Who phone – is unnecessary and distracting, and it steals at least some of the book’s charm.

But not all of it – the bones of Seuss’ tale do remain. The better news is that this is the best big-screen adaptation yet of Seuss’ work, easily trumping the live-action wrecks, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “The Cat in the Hat.”

The film follows Horton (voice of Jim Carrey), a gentle elephant busy bathing one day when he comes upon a speck knocked loose from a flower.

When the speck floats past him, Horton hears tiny screams emanating from it that ignite in him a rush to protect it. Trouble is, now that he has it in his possession, he must convince others in his rough-and-tumble jungle community that what he hears within that puff of dust is another world, one that might be far smaller and different than theirs, but which nevertheless is worth saving.

Good luck to Horton. Indeed, for him the problem is that only he has heard and communicated with the speck’s inhabitants – the Whos of Who-ville – a curious race governed by Who-ville’s bumbling mayor (Steve Carell), who is trying to make his Whos understand that their lives are in danger.

Making matters worse for them all is the character who doubts Horton most, the self-righteous, crazed fanatic kangaroo, who is voiced with such sneering menace by Carol Burnett that the only person who could best her small-minded evil is Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kerns. But maybe they’ll use her in the sequel.

Anywho, what ensues is a movie that finds the Whos joining together to be heard while Horton literally is imprisoned and mistreated for trying to help. The ending is especially powerful and intense, with Horton literally going through hell to help the little guy. And here is where the movie presses into the uneasy realm of politics. Since Horton is played by an elephant and not a donkey, one has to wonder at what point some bright star in Washington might view him as a viable running mate for the Republican presidential nominee, John McCain.

In that circus, anything can happen.

Grade: B-

On DVD, HD DVD

ATONEMENT directed by Joe Wright, written by Christopher Hampton, 122 minutes, rated R.

Joe Wright’s “Atonement” has everything you could wish for in a period drama – beautiful cinematography, set design and costumes; exotic locales; and a story designed to rip out your heart and crush it when a rushed, heated romance between two young lovers is poisoned by the lies and deceit of another.

Keira Knightley is Cecilia Tallis, a privileged, brittle beauty who isn’t especially likable, which is a problem since the movie eventually asks us to feel something profound for her. Looking bored and bothered in 1935 England, Cecilia has issues with Robbie (James McAvoy), who was put through Cambridge with Tallis money and now he is treated as something of a third-wheel member of the family.

The youngest member of the household is spooky Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan), a wide-eyed lass with a clipped blond bob and a tight-fisted gait who fancies herself as something of a writer. She favors fiction, which is key, and she also has a crush on Robbie, which is critical to why she does all that she does in a key plot element not to be revealed here.

“Atonement” isn’t a boring movie – there’s lots of lovely furniture to look at here, never mind the appealing vision of its romantic leads – but it isn’t a very gripping movie, either, because Cecilia and Robbie aren’t allowed to create a fierce, believable bond onscreen before they’re torn apart.

The trouble with the film is that you’re always aware that you’re watching a movie. There’s no sinking into “Atonement,” no losing yourself to it, no moment when the screen fades away and the story and the characters come to the fore to overcome you. This is a film you watch from the sidelines, thinking how pretty Knightley looks in this gown, that bathing suit, and how the lighting in a key scene in which Cecilia and Robbie have sex against a wall of books is more interesting than the scene itself.

Grade: C+

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the blog, podcast and archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.