Dolittle - Turbine Collector's Series 3D Blu-ray (German Import)

Fate has an odd way of stacking one’s workload but here we are. After already punching through a review of one poorly-received expensive box office flop that underwent major rewrites and reshoots with a different creative team (The Invasion), I’m now covering Robert Downey Jr.'s 2020 Dolittle that did less at the box office. Stacked against a massive budget and well-publicized production woes, this latest adaptation of Hugh Lofting’s iconic character feels like a film primed for failure. But was it really that bad? 

Kind-of, yeah. I have to say Dolittle isn’t great. Originally helmed by Stephen Gaghan, and written by Gaghan with help from Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, the film was poised to be RDJ’s big post-MCU hit that would spawn a new franchise for him to occupy because apparently a third Sherlock Holmes movie isn’t in the cards. The film tested poorly and underwent a major creative overhaul before release. Gaghan was pulled out from directing with Jonathan Liebsman stepping in and Chris McKay handling the rewrites. 

The final results are something of a mashup of sensibilities that don’t always make sense. There’s the aloof witticism of comedy that Robert Downey Jr. can play to the hilt with energy to spare, and then there’s an odd penchant for cheap antics. The film doesn’t have the heart of Rex Harrison and weirdly is less suited for children than the two Eddie Murphy films. After seeing this film again, I honestly couldn’t tell you who the target audience is. Given the different styles of Gaghan and Liebsman wrangling the project together, all I can say is the energy just feels off. It’s constantly playing this odd game of “yes and” adding plot contrivances and creatures out of thin air without any real reason other than it just moves the runtime along. 

I for one would have liked to never hear the animal voices at all. Given how the story progresses it might have played better if RDJ’s Doctor Dolittle was having a manic one-sided conversation. If the humans around him and by extension the audience were never let into his little world, I think the brand of comedy it was aiming for might have come through. It’s not overly crass humor, but it’s not quite slapstick either. I guess you could say it’s just not very funny. I think it’s amusing, I like some of the situations and plot developments, but I don’t think I ever laughed at any of the obvious jokes or gags. Mere chuckles I suppose is the best description of my reactions. 

While this film managed to pull something of an impressive box office haul with over $250 million globally, after marketing and splits, Universal still managed to lose nearly $100 million on the venture. I’m sure being released just before the Pandemic really got underway didn’t help much. While it’s generally regarded as a bust, I know many who do quite enjoy the film. This being my second shot through, I don’t mind that I saw it twice but a third viewing probably won’t happen anytime soon. Even with a great 3D experience, it's just not a film that sends me enough to get excited to sit down for it. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 3D
Dolittle may not have done much at the box office but it does a lot on Blu-ray 3D thanks to a new disc from Germany’s Turbine. The sixth entry in their Turbine Collector’s Series dedicated to the format, the film is pressed on a Region Free BD50 disc and comes housed in a clear case with reversible insert art. The alternate artwork is the English title and with different poster art. The disc loads automatically to a 3D animated main menu with basic navigation options. 

In the strange case of Dolittle and Blu-ray 3D, the film was previously available on the format in Australia from the sadly defunct label Random Space Media. Since again I wasn’t a fan of it in theaters, I didn’t import that disc even though I was quite impressed by the 3D experience. Without that disc to compare, I can say, at the very least, that Turbine delivers a quality three-dimensional experience. A post-conversion effort, it’s apparent that there was a lot of care and consideration of staging and effects work to get the most out of our CGI critters and our cast. Z-axis depth is engaging for some nice deep background vistas. Much of the production is the sort of “window into a world” presentation, but there are some fun protrusions out of the box to get us into that visual vibe. Details are sharp, colors are bright, black levels are nice and inky, and the bitrate for the left and right eye is rather strong throughout the 101-minute runtime. It might not be a show-stopping demo for a 3D screen or projector, but it’s a nice visual feast all the same.  

Again, I don’t have the Australian disc to compare, but knowing that one had only DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio, I naturally have to assume this Dolby Atmos option is a much more lively experience. I mean, that was my takeaway. Given all the flutter and flying of birds, there’s plenty of overhead activity in the soundscape and there are a lot of big events and active goings-on to keep the side and rear channels rolling with some impressive imaging. Dialog largely keeps to the front/center but there’s still plenty of incidentals along with the Danny Elfman score to keep the mix sounding full and adventurous throughout. By the time we get to the big finale and the dragon, the mix if firing on all fronts. No complaints from this mix, it’s a fun track with a smart sound design.

Given Turbine has maxed out the disc space for the A/V presentation, there are no extra features on disc. 

Dolittle just didn’t do it for me. It’s a fine film, an amusing little jaunt to pass the time with, but RDJR did better films before and after this one that are more worth the time revisiting. I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it, but I do admire the 3D experience. This was how I saw it in theaters and it was a good bit of visual fun to see it that way again on disc. Turbine delivers another excellent 3D Blu-ray experience complete with an excellent Atmos audio track to match. While there aren’t any bonus features, the treat is actually having this film in 3D on disc, and for the three-dimensional collector, it’s a solid pickup. At a minimum, Dolittle on Blu-ray 3D is Worth A Look.