Courtesy: MVD Visual/Ruthless Studios
MVD Visual has a real knack for releasing impressive documentaries. This year’s crop of new documentaries is proof of that. It includes the likes of: Raiders: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, Zydeco Crossroads: A Tale of Two Cities and Back in Time just to name a few titles. That’s just a few titles from this year. It has released a number of enjoyable documentary titles in past years, too. While MVD Visual has succeeded quite well in the documentary realm, its cinematic releases are another story. Those releases have been hit and miss with its foreign import Men and Chicken being one of its rare hits most recently. Later this month, MVD Visual will release a new children’s flick from indie studio Ruthless Studios called Star Paws that sadly is one of the company’s misses. This CG/Live Action hybrid is a disappointment not just in the world of children’s movies but in general, too. There is not a lot to say to the positive about this largely forgettable flick other than it is a good way to get young viewers interested in dinosaurs and paleontology. Other than that, there is not much that can be said positive about this movie.
Star Paws, the new family flick from Ruthless Studios and MVD Visual is a real miss for MVD Visual in its lengthy list of cinematic features. There is not a lot that can be said positive about this largely forgettable work. While it does have at best one positive, that one positive isn’t enough to make up for its negatives, which begin with the very issues of its production values. The movie’s production values (or lack thereof) make this work look like something that was crafted by a middle school student. That is evident in an item such as the “time machine,” which is clearly just a box covered in tin foil. This is only the tip of the massive iceberg that is the movie’s poor quality production values. Even more troubling is the total imbalance in the movie’s CG elements and live action elements. The dogs and chickens (yes, chickens) are the only actual animals that are used in the movie. The dinosaurs and cats are all CG as are the space battle scenes and most of the backgrounds. Sometimes, the backgrounds are little more than blue screens placed behind the dogs, which gives the movie an even cheaper, low-budget look. That hurts the movie even more. At other times, the movie’s crew just used random footage for scene shots. It only gets worse from here, but that will be discussed later. For all of the movie’s many negatives, it does have at least one positive. That positive is the educational content centered on the dinosaurs.
Star Paws is marred by problems from the beginning to the end of its 78-minute run time. From completely low-budget, amateurish production values to a total historical inaccuracy in its mention of the Civil War (audiences will have to see the movie to understand this) to the abhorrent voice acting, there is little to nothing that can be said to the positive about this movie. Its one noticeable positive is its educational content centered on dinosaurs. The movie is to be commended for teaching a very elementary level lesson about dinosaurs that will entertain 4 and 5-year-olds. While those audiences likely won’t be able to properly pronounce the names of the dinosaurs presented, the information provided about them makes for a good starting point in lessons for teachers and parents about dinosaurs. Other than that one positive, there is nothing else that can be said about this movie, other than the fact that it at least doesn’t even come close to the 90-minute mark.
The educational dinosaur content that is presented in Star Paws is a good starting point both for teachers and parents in developing lessons about said creatures for 4 and 5-year-old audiences. Other than that one element, there is honestly no other positive to this disappointing extremely low-budget family flick. It has already been noted that the movie suffers greatly from its production values in so many ways. The issues that it faces with its embarrassing production values are not the only issues from which it suffers. It also suffers from poor writing; more specifically a poor story. The story centers on the race between an evil cat called Adventure Cat and a group of dogs to get a magical prehistoric bone. The bone in question gives its owner untold power. Both parties have to travel back to prehistoric times to get the bone, all while dodging dinosaurs (CG dinosaurs for that matter who look like they came from a late 90s video game). The story ties in the concept of a time loop as a means for Adventure Cat and the dogs to return to their own time. Even that element’s use can be brought into question in the movie’s overall story. So much more could be said here. But the fact of the matter is that there is just not enough time or space to point out all of the problems with this movie’s story. It is that problematic. The same can be said of the voice cast’s work, which throughout feels so forced and cheesy to say the very least. Between these issues, the issues associated with its cheap production values, and other issues, it can be determined that there is no saving Star Paws. This is even with the one positive in its educational content. It is a disappointing cinematic offering from MVD Visual and Ruthless Studios.
MVD Visual and Ruthless Studios’ new family flick Star Paws is a disappointing offering from the two independent organizations. There is sadly little to nothing positive that can be said about this extremely low-budget, live action/CG hybrid story. It suffers greatly from issues in its writing, its acting and its production values. Between its writing, voice acting and production values, this movie feels like it is all over the place from start to finish. Even the one positive—its educational dinosaur content—is not enough to save it, considering its overpowering negatives. All things considered, Star Paws proves to be a disappointing offering from MVD Visual and Ruthless Studios. It is more proof, considering MVD Visual’s record with cinematic release, that maybe it should stick with documentary films rather than cinematic works. More information on this and other titles from Ruthless Studios is available online now at:
Website: http://www.RuthlessStudios.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ruthlesspictures
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RuthlessMovies
More information on this and other titles from MVD Visual is available online at:
Website: http://www.MVDvisual.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MVDEntertainmentGroup
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