Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back 3D *
Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back 2D ½

Back in 2008 a little computer animated family feature was released in cinemas to little fanfare and by the end of its lukewarm run at the box office had generated even less. That film was Space Chimps, a feature produced by Vanguard Animation, one of the many animation studios that so want to be the next Pixar but simply don’t have what it takes to achieve the goal. The film failed to impress financially or critically, being at best a mildly amusing diversion and at worst a dismal waste of celluloid. Now, you’re probably wondering, why would a film that failed to win the love of moviegoers or critics, let alone achieve even a half decent box office gross, be granted a sequel. Well, the answer would appear to be – 3D. What was supposedly intended to be little more than a straight to DVD sequel (something that would have made a lot of sense) at first has instead been turned into a 3D feature, with struggling distributor Entertainment Film Distributors hoping to join the bandwagon for cashing in on the lucrative extra dimension. But even adding an extra dimension is not enough to transform a piece of cinema no one could care less about into a must see moviegoing event and Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back is clear evidence of this.

Comet (voiced by Zack Shada) is the cool techno chimp who longs to be taken seriously as a fully-fledged space chimp. But after he discovers that he has been cut from the upcoming space mission he finds himself mistakenly blasting off and journeying to the fantastical Planet Malgor where he bonds with the adorable alien Kilowatt (voiced by Laura Bailey), and lives out his ultimate fantasy. However, it’s time for Comet to prove himself when the feared alien ruler Zartog (voiced by Jeff Daniels) takes over Mission Control! Comet must show he has the right stuff, and join fellow chimps Ham (voiced by Tom Kinney), Luna (voiced by Cheryl Hines) and Titan (voiced by Patrick Warburton), to save the day.

Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back easily establishes itself as one of the worst movie sequels in a very long time, being so poor that it actually makes its predecessor seem pretty good by comparison. The animation, despite having a cute, cartoony feel, is untextured and lacking in detail and looks very cheap as a result, failing to impress at a time when many smaller animation studios are managing to deliver a high standard of animation. Some of the space based scenes are quite beautiful admittedly but mainly because the shots the filmmakers appear to have lazily used actual photos of other galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope rather than actually animate them themselves. The 3D effects are greatly lacking also, the 3D here being a pointless exercise in gimmickry, and only scarcely used as a gimmick then. Seriously, the 3D adds very little to the film, yet quite literally manages to be about the only thing of any value in it. Plot is virtually non existant, every attempt at humour completely misses the mark and the voice cast essentially phone it in. So, Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back is the kind of film that only the most undemanding of children will get much enjoyment out of and I suspect even some of them won’t be much impressed by this film that really isn’t worth the price of a cinema ticket, let alone the extra amount for 3D.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

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