PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK Review

Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Align and Aniventure have teamed up to bring this new comedy adventure to the big screen. The movie includes big names such as Michael Cera, Ricky Gervais, Mel Brooks, George Takei, Aasif Mandvi, Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Hounsou, Michelle Yeoh, Kylie Kuioka, Cathy Shim and Samuel L. Jackson.

The film follows lone hound Hank (Michael Cera) who decides to leave his home in hopes of following his dream of learning to become a great samurai.

During his hopeful travels, Hank finds himself trespassing on Ika Chu’s (Ricky Gervais) land which is cat only territory, thus causing a pause in his journey when he is taken prisoner by the palace guards.

Although the law states Hank should be terminated, Ika Chu makes Hank the new town samurai, in hopes that the town cats will dispose of the dog, therefore breaking the law by killing a samurai and giving Ika Chu a reason to wipe out the village which is a part of his evil plan.

When Hank first comes into the town as the new samurai, the cats make it clear that he is unwanted, but with help from a reluctant teacher Jimbo (Samuel L. Jackson), this underdog must assume the role of town samurai and team up with the villagers to save the day before it’s too late.

Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

With the movie having a PG rating, I wasn’t sure how casting big names, who are known for their more adult roles in film and TV, would turn out. But after watching the film and getting to see the voices paired with their characters, it’s clear that casting for this movie was spot on.

From the first time on the screen to the end credits, this star packed cast gives performances that anyone of any age can enjoy, but two of the best performances came from Ricky Gervais and Samuel L. Jackson.

Gervais was able to incorporate his witty humor with references to modern day things such as calling his character's toilet a “super bowl,” as well as, using references from movies like Star Wars and SpaceBalls with the iconic “I am your father” quote.

And as I said before, although this is a PG rated movie, Jackson was able to use some creative language such as “Mother father cocker spaniel” as funny substitutes for his usual language in other projects he’s done.

Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

Even with a star filled cast, one thing that made the film stand out was its ability to break the fourth wall and talk to the audience. It’s rare that movies find interesting ways to involve viewers in the story, but with little tricks like having characters look into the audience and say “we only have 82 minutes to tell you this story” or jump out of the screen and run into a fake movie theater within the film, helps to create a fun and unique experience for everyone in the audience.

Throughout the film, the creators were able to keep the audience entertained and laughing with its mix of action scenes and humor for kids, as well as its Mel Brooks’ movie references and hidden adult humor for older viewers.

I recommend this movie to die hard Mel Brooks fans, anyone who is under 15 or has young children.

Overall, I give PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK a 3 out of 5 stars.