Back in 1994,John Goodmanand Rick Moranis failed to make anyone’s Bedrock with a live-action take on Hanna-Barbera’sThe Flintstones. Although the movie boasted a huge box office – one that overtookIndiana Jones and the Last Crusadeas the highest Memorial Day weekend earner at the time – the film was roundly panned by both critics and audiences despite a stellar cast of Oscar contenders and comedy greats. Now, 30 years later,The Flintstoneshas chipped its way into Netflix’s US Top 10.
The Flintstonesbrought Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble to vivid life thanks to the perfect casting of John Goodman andRick Moranisrespectively. Directed by Brian Levant, the live-action family comedy brought the Stone Age world of Bedrock to life through some brilliant Jim Henson Creature Shop animatronic puppets, and larger than life sets. The film also pulled out all the stops when it came to its cast, with its two leads being joined by Elizabeth Perkins and Rosie O’Donnell as the long-suffering Wilma and Betty,Kyle MacLachlan as the movie’s villain, future Oscar-winner Halle Berry, Industry legend Elizabeth Taylor, and even a cameo appearance by talk show host Jay Leno and director Sam Raimi. Despite all of this, the live-action movie proved to be a cautionary tale in the troubles that can be faced when adapting a child’s cartoon for a live-action cinema audience of all ages.
AlthoughThe Flintstonesis not likely to bother the chart leader, Kevin Hart’s equally panned action movieLift, its current #8 position is still an impressive feat for a 30-year-old movie. Who knows, it could succeed in climbing further up the chart to overtake another prehistoric movie, The Croods, which is currently holding #7 after 4 weeks on the chart.
The Flintstones Financial Success Hid Its Flaws
The Flintstonesdrew a lot of attention, mostly for being the first movie to attempt to bring a Hanna-Barbera cartoon to life on the big screen. The film grossed over $341 million worldwide, making it a clear financial success, but despite its large audience numbers, many of them were not that impressed by the film’s inability to find a story that suited its audience. Although the film gained plenty of praise for its incredible recreation of Bedrock, and the always on-point puppet work of The Jim Henson Company, both critics and audiences agreed thatThe Flintstoneshad difficulty in recapturing the charm and humor ofthe animated show.
That did not stopThe Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, a sequel of the movie that acted as prequel to the original movie, arriving in 2000. Like many movies that come on the back of a commercial success that is critically panned, the sequel, with its all-new cast led byGame of ThronesandThe Full Monty’s Mark Addy was quickly buried, and the live-action franchise fossilized under the weight of its failure.
The Flintstonesis a reminder to anyone attempting to bring popular animated movies and TV shows to a live-action arena that there aremany ways such a venture can fail. Although there are several success stories in that field, there are many more that have failed to strike a balance between nostalgic fan-service and the requirement to connect with contemporary audiences. Of course, in this time of streaming, it is possible for any panned movie to find a new audience, and allow older ones to learn to hate it all over again.
The Flintstones
