Dark, depressing, only mildly amusing

Rating: 3/10 (29 March 2011)

First off, this is NOT a kid's movie and shouldn't be marketed as such. The showing I attended consisted of at least 50% children, and I heard no laughter from them. In fact, I am not sure WHO this is for because the first half of the film d r a a g g g e e e d on and on and on and by the time the action picked up, I really just wanted it to be over. Ugh. What a mess this was. I don't even know where to begin with the criticism.
Let's see. First off, a line of dialog says that the setting is the "Mojave Desert". As a former (and hopefully future) resident of the Sonoran Desert (which is located in much of Southern Arizona and Mexico)I know for certain that Saguaro Cacti (the tall ones with the big arms) only grow in the Sonoran Desert. Fact check, anyone? Why not be true to your dialog? How hard would it have been to change that line to "Sonoran"?? And another thing. What the HECK were those animals supposed to be? There was an extremely ugly flob nosed thing...(actually several of them) that was virtually unidentifiable. It had humanoid disgusting yellowed teeth and was difficult to look at. It seemed to me that the animators were trying to create the ugliest, scariest characters they could with no regard to any animal that exists in nature. The Sonoran Desert is FULL of fascinating creatures! Why not animate REAL animals. Study them (as the great animators do) and portray them with their real characteristics. Why on earth, for instance, would you have a venomous snake squeeze its prey? Most 5 year old boys know (and girls too, if they like snakes) that there are two kinds of snakes! Constrictors squeeze, venomous snakes bite! The dialog seems to be aimed at adults, and there were lots of references to pop culture movies (many of them, such as Brokeback Mountain were rated R!) that would just fly right over most kids' heads. My husband and I were bored silly during the first half. I must have checked my watch 5 or 6 times.
Don't waste your money on this one. It's a dud.