Alvin and The Chipmunks product reviews

I had seen the trailers for this but I wasn't keen on it at the time, my son was too young to be interested at all and I had too many keen memories of Alvin and the gang from growing up and the trailer just didn't give me any interest at all, so it wasn't until a week ago when it aired on TV that I finally watched it.

My three kids were into the movie straight away, whilst they didn't question the walking talking chipmunks they did wonder why they were so messy and wanted to live in a house. The chipmunks were as I remembered them and I did enjoy how this was esentially a origin story set prior to the muisc that was released, just set today. Dave was played well, but the actor kind of grates me the wrong way so it was harder to get into enjoying the movie than it could have been.

There are plenty of sweet moments in this film which made it a little more enjoyable. My main wish was that the movie could have had a few more songs throughout it but at the same time I can understand that as an origin story they couldn't do as much as they may have wished to. My kids really enjoyed it, and my son was full of questions as to why the music producer treated the chipmunks as he did, which was rather good as it made him stop and think about the right vs the wrong and also gave him a little insight as to why mum and dad have some rules in place.

Whilst I didn't love this movie, I only just like it, my son loved it enough that I have bought a copy on DVD for him, he is most keen for family to watch it. What gives the movie another tick is the original album covers that grace the end credits (a personal fave of mine, to see original art/designs contained within).

Alvin and the chipmunks have been around for years now I remember the chipmunks from when I was just knee high to a grasshopper. This film reinvents them beautifully in a modern way suitable for today's generation of children. A great new chapter in your memories of the Chipmunks or if you have never met them before a great place to start.

As with past Alvin and Chipmunks programmes or movies the music is at the heart of the film sticking with the tradition. There is some wonderfully modern music with a chipmunk twist that appeals to young children because well it's just a little bit silly which children love. The movie has quite a good soundtrack with songs like Witch Doctor, and Staying Alive.

The movie is enjoyable for adults as well as children as it has some comedy that quite frankly goes over the younger children's heads but makes the adults have a giggle. It has a nice storyline with Dave meeting the singing and dancing chipmunks and helping them create a music career in an industry focused on glamour and greed. Lots of laughable moments as the chipmunks get up to no good (it is amazing just what havoc such small creatures can cause) and some serious moments as the chipmunks and Dave learn what is really important in life.

I give the movie an overall 9 out of 10 it is a great movie for the whole family, and one which you can watch again and can't help but find yourself singing along to and let's face it who doesn't love the combination of real people and animated talking animals.

Alvin and the Chipmunks succeeds at what it is trying to do, and that is to make a movie interesting enough to keep the attention of the little people, while also making it watch-able for the adults.

It does this with humour and catchy songs that the kids will love, and after you have watched it for the 10th time, you too will also know all the words to the music.

My only gripe with the film, and this is only my personal opinion, is the casting of Jason Lee as Dave in the movie, he just didn't seem the right fit to me from my memories of the chipmunks from my childhood.

For a kids film it is great, there are funny bits, music, and no real slow bits, so the movie moves along at a nice pace, and keeps everyone entertained, I recommend this for all the little chipmunks in your life.

How i love these little guys! The story line is fantastic, there is something in there for everyone right from my 3 year old to my partner. I love how the chipmunks rebel then they discover what really matters and they have their own strong determination and love for Dave.

The singing is so good, its catchy and the chipmunks are hilarious! Their dance moves are classic, and they get you bopping along in your seat.

The story line is basic and easy to follow even for the really young family members. The graphics and animation is great and even better is that its nice and colourful. The chipmunks are easy to distinguish for their different coloured tops - a bonus for the small ones.

A must watch for all families :)

I took my daughter to see this when it was first released in New Zealand. She was absolutely in love with the Chipmunks the moment she first clapped eyes on them. Alvin was her favourite and everytime the movie trailer or a promotional behind the scenes show came on TV, she was glued to the screen. She was drawing chipmunks and one of the first letters she ever wrote was "A" thanks to Alvin's shirt.

So she was super excited to be going to see the movie with me and generally she is a good kid to take to movies. She has a long attention span for a pre-schooler, and only tends to get bored right at the end in the "feel good" portion of the film.

The start of the movie, she sat through just fine, but something about the action or storyline just wasn't capturing her in the same way it had on TV. She became really restless after about 30 minutes and started climbing the furniture and doing all the things you wish a child wouldn't when you have paid good money for them to attend a film.

At the moment the film hit it's climax of drama, she announced that she was tired and wished to go home. And that was that. We packed up and left. We have since watched the movie on TV and she was better able to sit through it. So I believe she was just too young to properly appreciate the film at the time. Also as previously mentioned they had a bunch of 80s kids to please as well so some of the action and storyline would have just sailed over newbies' heads.

Overall I actually enjoyed the film and would have loved to stay til the end on the first seeing. I have watched it since and could easily watch it more. That's the sign of a good kid's movie...actually being able to stand it more than once.

Alvin and the Chipmunks...yep a fantastic movie that both myself and my kids absolutely loved. A funked up version of the classic series I grew up with as a kid, it was wonderful to see my kids roaming around home doing their best chipmunk impressions while singing their favourite songs for days after watching.
The movie itself kept them entertained the whole time with smiles, laughter and the occasional 'oh no' to be heard, and then applaud when it finished the way the kids had hoped.
Definitely a firm favourite and definitely will not disappoint either.

"But you're like a dad" has to be my favorite line in the entire movie. With an unlikely Dave in Jason Lee (who also plays Earl Hickey in the American sitcom, 'My name is Earl'), he really does it well.

When I was growing up, I loved Theodore, he wasn't too smart, nor too full of himself and guess what, with this movie, I still love him. The person I really don't like is Ian Hawke, the record producer, and his morals. Being part of a loving family is important.

This DVD isn't only for the children of today or tomorrow but also for those children in us of the 80's when Alvin and the Chipmunks were by far a favorite show. The music always sent us children running from whereever we were to the lounge to sit in front of the TV to see what they would come up with next. My two personal favorite songs from the chipmunks were and still are the witch doctor and the hula hoop Christmas song.

They are back, yet again, revived after many years of silence, with another new look, but Alvin and his brothers are definitely set to capture a whole new group of youngsters with this movie!! The music's funky, the underlying messages are still as strong as ever, and the main characters - the 'heroes' - are STILL downright adorable!! Created in 1958, emerging again in the '80s (when I first discovered them as a kid and totally fell for these gorgeous, musical balls of fur), and now, fresh and funky, the Chipmunks have returned in this great movie that will grab the attention of both young and old. As it was very much in keeping with the old TV series I used to love watching as a kid, just watching it brought back memories of Saturday morning TV, when just the sound of the intro music used to bring me running.
The special features on the disc were a lot of fun to watch, and rather informative. In Chip Chip Hooray! The Chipmunk History, it was interesting to see just how the Chipmunks came about, and even more interesting to note how, hidden within the movie, were bits and pieces of the original creator's (Ross Bagdasarian Snr, father to Ross Bagdasarian Jnr, the Producer of Alvin and the Chipmunks) life. Such as the piano (originally belonging to Ross Bagdasarian Snr) that Dave Seville (played by My Name is Earl's Jason Lee) uses when he's teaching the Chipmunk boys the 'Christmas is Here' song; or the number of Dave Seville's house, 1958, the year the Chipmunks were created, etc.
Then there's A 3-D Dynamo: The Visual Effects of Alvin and the Chipmunks, which was one of my favourites from the special features, seeing just how much work went into just creating the right look to the Chipmunks. Just as lengthy a process was getting the Chipmunk voices right, especially with the songs, as was shown in my other favourite of the extras - Hitting the Harmony Featurette.
The other two extras, Get Munked Featurette (where you can learn the steps to dance to 'Witch Doctor'), and Chipmunk Funk Mixer Set Top Game (where you get to mix your choice of guitar, drum, and Chipmunk vocals to create your own 'Chipmunk mix') weren't as enjoyable for me, as I found them a bit silly, but the kids will probably find these ones more to their liking. However, I will admit that the dance steps were explained in ways that both kids and adults should find easy to follow.
This is already a movie that has been played several times since it came home (with quite a few rewinds over the song 'Witch Doctor', which is by far my favourite Chipmunk song!!), and one I can see being a favourite for many families, especially if the adults also grew up with the old TV series. The producers have certainly ended up with what they said they were trying to create with Alvin and the Chipmunks in this quote from Ross Bagdasarian Jnr:
'We didn't want to make a movie just for 4year olds or for 5 year olds, we wanted that group who'd grown up with them in the 80s and 90s, who were now in their 20s, to have something that was smart enough, sassy enough and fun enough, for them not only to recognise the characters from their childhood, but to still be able to enjoy them'.
With a movie that shows strongly just how important having a family is, it's an absolute MUST for the family DVD collection.