In a world where monster wrestling is a global sport, teenage Winnie (Geraldine Viswanathan) teams up with a loveable underdog monster (Will Arnett) in hopes of training him to be a champion. The duo learns the value of moving to your own groove and paving your own unique path to success.
“Rumble” occurs in a world where monsters and humans coexist, and monster wrestling is considered a global sport. Its athletes are treated like superstars, and the story centers on a teenage girl who seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps by coaching a lovable monster to become a wrestling champion.
Actress Geraldine Viswanathan is the voice of Winnie Coyle, an aspiring monster wrestling trainer and the daughter of the legendary monster wrestling trainer Jimbo. In contrast, Will Arnett voices Steve/Rayburn Jr., a giant red reptilian monster who is the son of the famous wrestling champion Rayburn Sr. Viswanathan, and Arnett manages to excel in every scene they share, providing some great chemistry in the background. These two voice actors are an essential part of the film.
“Rumble” was originally going to be released in theaters, but Paramount decided to put it on their streaming service instead. Based on the graphic novel ‘Monster on the Hill’ by Rob Harrell, the film is directed by Hamish Grieve. It’s a movie that has plenty of good humor and heart. The characters and the voice acting are brilliant. However, the plot is uninspiring and pretty lifeless, with lazy writing and incoherent plot twists. Other elements are the pacing and the screenwriting, which both lack creativity and are entirely unglamorous. Even though the story is not up to its standards like a Disney or Pixar masterpiece, at least it’s not in “The Emoji Movie” or “Tom and Jerry” level of disappointment.
On the flip side, the animation, produced by Paramount Animation and Dallas’ Reel FX Animation Studios, is well done. This film is filled with some unique, rendering CGI movements and character models, but that’s not all. There are a few visual references and easter eggs from WWE and wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and others, but there’s probably more you might miss. In addition, the plot shares some similarities with Blue Sky Studios’ film “Ferdinand” and other movies that involve animals and/or monsters fighting and wrestling, particularly the Pokemon franchise.
Lastly, a plethora of voice actors also appear in this film: Terry Crews (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) as the Monster Wrestling champion and the film’s main antagonist Tentacular, Susan Kelechi Wilson (“This is Us”) as Winnie’s mother, Maggie, Tony Shalhoub (Pixar’s “Cars” films) as the diner owner Fred, YouTuber Jimmy Tatro as Lights Out McGinty, Stephen A. Smith as a wrestling commentator Marc Remy, Tony Danza (ABC’s “Taxi”) as Siggy, Ben Schwartz (NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”) as Tentacular’s agent Jimothy Brett-Chadley III, Fred Melamed as the Mayor, Greta Lee (Netflix’s “Russian Doll”) as Councilwoman, and John Dimaggio (“Futurama”) as Tattoo Guy and Betting Guy.
“Rumble” is not great, but it does tell a good story between professional wrestling and monsters. While the voice cast and the animation are great, the lack of creativity in the story and some interesting characters coupled with a clichéd story that is completely self-aware of its clichés left me bewildered. I think this film is a huge missed opportunity. Maybe it’s a fun movie for kids who love wrestling and monsters, but basically, this is just Pokemon with monsters. There’s not much going on here regarding sports films that will elevate its path above any movie that features wrestling.
Now available on Digital HD and on Blu-ray™ & DVD October 18th
