The character of Doctor Dolittle is one that has been presented numerous times on screen; from the 1967 Oscar nominated Doctor Dolittle with Rex Harris as the titular doctor, to the more modern Eddie Murphy vehicle. Despite the success of the Murphy films, the desire for another potential big budget franchise was too much to resist. The result of this desire is Dolittle, a return to the literary source material from Hugh Lofting in which the good doctor operates in early Victorian-era England. This is a story that is built to be fun for the entire family, but Dolittle tends to favor the younger side of the audience while leaving the adults a little cold.
After losing his beloved wife, Lily, at sea several years prior, Dr. John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.) has hidden away at his house with only animals to keep him company. Dolittle has the rare ability to communicate with animals that earned him the admiration of the crown in his early days. One day his reclusiveness is upended by two unexpected visitors; Tommy Stubbins (Harry Collett), a young boy who accidentally wounds a squirrel named Kevin (Craig Robinson) while hunting with his family, and Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado), a young girl sent by Queen Victoria (a woefully underused Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose) to cure her sudden illness. After saving Kevin and begrudgingly taking on Tommy as an apprentice, Dolittle breaks out of his reclusiveness to tend to the Queen. After an initial examination finds that she has been poisoned, Dolittle and his animals must embark on a journey across the sea to procure an antidote from a far away land.
Dolittle is aiming to fill the same role that Pirates of the Caribbean plays with its high seas adventures, quests for mythical objects and dalliances with flamboyant pirates. While that series has remained profitable, it has been creatively bankrupt for quite some time, and Dolittle does not fare much better. The movie is a standard adventure filled with the odd action scene or occasionally clever one liner, but it never feels emotionally satisfying as you are barely given time to care about anything that happens. Even moments that provided a sting of emotion in the trailer fall flat within the context of the film. The movie also attempts to stay family friendly, but leans too much into the juvenile humor that executives believe children will appreciate, leaving the adults in the audience to roll their eyes.
The cast of this movie is filled to the brim with talented people, but not all performances prove to be equally as good. As great of an actor as he can be, Robert Downey Jr. appears to be sleepwalking through his role as the doctor. He unfortunately muddles through most of his lines and cannot seem to keep track of what accent he wants to use. The actors that provide voices to the animals are in much better shape, providing any moments of joy that the movie does provide. Oscar winners such as Emma Thompson, Rami Malek and Octavia Spencer steal the show, with Spencer’s duck character Dab-Dab providing the most belly laughs in the film. Other standouts include Kumail Nanjiani as Plimpton the ostrich and Tom Holland as Jip, a wise glasses-wearing dog. A special nod should also be given to Antonio Banderas who plays the king of the pirates, one of the few human characters that has any sense of urgency to them.
Dolittle proves to be a movie that has entertaining moments, but ultimately fails at being a compelling movie. It is baffling to comprehend how this movie was written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, the man who directed George Clooney to his first Oscar win for Syriana. That was a movie that was densely plotted and expertly paced, so a movie as light as Dolittle should have been easy to pace in a compelling manner. The script is limp and the energy from the voice actors cannot compensate from a sleepy performance from your protagonist. Kids should enjoy this one, but adults should be prepared to have their patience tested.
Video Quality
Dolittle comes to 4K UHD Blu-Ray in a 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation that is truly stunning. This is a film that is made for the format, with beautiful shots of nature throughout where you can see an incredible amount of detail. The vivid colors really pop from the greens of the foliage to the blues of the sea. The island where we meet the Pirate King has more of an earth tone that the presentation represents perfectly with a pleasing richness. The white levels are handled beautifully, along with the intensely deep blacks that show no blocking of any sort. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. This presentation is definitely a standout on the UHD format.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a very active Dolby Atmos soundtrack that gives an impressive amount of life to the world. The movie is very dialogue heavy, even during the chaotic action scenes, and clarity is never an issue. The track makes good use of all of the surround speakers, with nature sounds and varied locations adding a lot of subtle activity. The positioning of the sounds is never an issue, and the track delivers on the low end of the spectrum. The movie has a soaring score from Danny Elfman that really fills the room throughout the movie. This is a very pleasing sounding experience from start to finish.
Special Features
There are six featurettes that are presented in 4K SDR on this 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc. A standard Blu-Ray disc is also included in this package.
- Talk to the Animals: A five-minute introduction to the animals and those who voice them hosted by Robert Downey Jr.
- RDJ & Harry: Mentor and Mentee: A nice look at Downey Jr. and his young costar bonding onset.
- Becoming the Good Doctor: A three-minute look at the characteristics of Dolittle and what drew Downey Jr. to the project.
- Antonio Banderas: Pirate King: Another three minute look at Banderas’ character and his place in the movie.
- The Wicked Dr. Müdfly: A two-minute look at Michael Sheen’s antagonistic character.
- A Most Unusual House: A four-minute overview of the construction of Dolittle’s house and all the furnishing that went into transforming the space.
Final Thoughts
Dolittle takes very big swings in this latest adaptation, but overall there is just too much that does not work to recommend a purchase to anyone who is not looking to entertain a younger audience. For those who are a fan of the movie, you could not ask for a better technical presentation on the A/V front, and there are a few fluffy special features thrown in for good measure. Give this one a rental if you are interested in the talent involved and want a disc to test out your home theater setup.
Dolittle is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
