In filmmaker Kirk De Micco's CGI-animated kiddie flick Space Chimp, Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live) is the voice of Ham III, the self-centered, rebellious, wiseacre grandson of the first chimp to go into space. Obsessed with flight, Ham enjoys being shot out of a cannon in a seedy circus, but steps into the big leagues when he's picked to join the simian crew of a NASA rocket being launched into a wormhole that will take them to a planet far, far away in order to recover a land rover (from an earlier mission) commandeered by one of the local Dr. Seuss-like creatures, a tyrannical meanie. Naturally, it's up to our intrepid chimponauts to liberate the populace from the villain and then cobble together a ship to return home (with the thrust provided by a conveniently erupting volcano). Also featuring the voices of Jeff Daniels, Stanley Tucci, and Cheryl Hines, Space Chimps is an uninspired film serving up a familiar message—kids can be anything they choose, so long as they work hard and remain true to themselves—better presented elsewhere. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the nine-minute Fox Movie Channel-produced “Casting Session” featurette with the voice actors (including Cheryl Hines and Patrick Warburton), a stills gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a lackluster family film.] (F. Swietek)
Space Chimps
Fox, 81 min., G, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $39.99, Nov. 25 Volume 23, Issue 5
Space Chimps
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