It’s a given that kids won’t necessarily notice these little mistakes, but it just makes the rest of us lose respect and interest in the game. I kept playing and playing through several levels, and everything was so repetitive and bland it didn’t really get me hooked. I’ve been able to enjoy other movie-based titles like The Spiderwick Chronicles, but this one just didn’t get me.

The cutscenes in the game are washed-out clips from the movie, and the editing was a little rough as well. If you haven’t seen the movie, the cutscenes won’t quite help you follow the story. A few key moments that could have made it shine didn’t make it into the game. The voice over work is fine overall, but a bit scarce. On numerous occasions the characters just moan and groan like beasts…including the human ones! I didn’t really understand why it had to be that way, considering the Telemarines are far from being Neanderthals!

The soundtrack is a bit more interesting, especially during certain scenes, but it mostly goes unnoticed. It seems like the whole game is surrounded by an uncomfortable level of mediocrity, and it never delivers a real movie-like experience. We expect much more out of today’s video games, and we can say this one got stuck in the last generation of gaming. If it had come out three years ago, it would still be bad though!

Maybe kids will get some enjoyment out of it, but anyone over 12-14 years old should probably just skip it. We all know movie tie-ins are generally rushed and second-rate, but from my experience, this one takes the cake!

By Maria Montoro
CCC Site Director