"Dora and The Lost City of Gold": A Pleasant Jungle Adventure!

Today I decided to go to the AMC Tustin theater to see “Dora and The Lost City of Gold”. This is a film I reserved for free as part of the AMC Stubs A-List benefits. 

When I saw the first posters for a live action Dora the Explorer movie, I thought it was some kind of joke. I remember Dora the Explorer being a cartoon show on nick Jr. for preschoolers. So how do you turn a preschool show into a live action family film for all ages? It made me think that the film was going to turn out to be just an awkward train wreck. But now that I have actually seen the film for myself, what did I think?

Well, right of the bat, the film is self aware of what it is, which is that it is a live action Dora the Explorer film. There was a lot of nostalgia pandering towards fans of the show who watched it as kids. But being self aware is what really delivered on the laughs. It had good messages and the main characters, Dora especially, are good role models. And unlike other jungle adventure films like Jumanji, it was not too scary or disturbing. There is lots of action and peril, but it's all played for laughs. The action scenes all managed to be lighthearted fun with the characters having fun and making jokes through it all. 

 It also never alienated anyone who was over preschool age. The film never talks down to anyone as if they’re stupid. It managed to be an entertaining film for people of all ages. A film that parents with kids can enjoy, and maybe even teenagers who remember growing up with the original cartoon. At the end of the day, this was a good effort at a live action Dora. And as a movie, it was a good jungle adventure family film and nothing more.

I give this film a solid “B”. It was a pleasant surprise and it exceeded the low expectations I had for it. It's a good family friendly movie for all ages and it's also spiritually safe. I would see this movie again. God bless!