In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Friday 19 October 2018

Basil the Great Mouse Detective (1986)

aka The Great Mouse Detective /
The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective

It's Disney's version of Sherlock Holmes but with small animals instead of humans. Basil of Baker Street (Barrie Ingham) is Sherlock; the Watson role is filled by Dr. Q. Dawson (Val Bettin), who also serves as the film's narrator; while Basil's nemesis is a sewer rat named Ratigan (Vincent Price). Under threat is the entire British Monarchy; well, the animal side of it, at least.
After a surprisingly scary opening scene, and despite enjoying the character designs, I didn't warm to the story as much as the writers probably would've liked a viewer to have done - except, that is, during the exuberant finale. Set inside a clock tower, amid mechanical cogs fraught with danger, it put the famous mouse's cognitive skills and quick reflexes to the test.

2½ forces in motion out of 5

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