'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul' Movie Gets Mixed Reviews
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul," the fourth film of the franchise, hit the big screens just a couple of weeks ago, and it has already garnered mixed reviews from critics.
Although the film features an all-new cast, it is not exactly a reboot. Instead, the old cast was replaced by a new one to play the same characters. A lot of the viewers were not particularly comfortable with the idea, probably because they got used to seeing the same faces in the first three movies.
However, there are also others who accepted such change with open arms. According to Den of Geek contributor Simon Brew's review, "The new cast are impressive, to the point where – with no disrespect intended to the company old or new – I accepted them as the characters in seconds."
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The Heffley family is back in action after the five-year hiatus from the big screen. In "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul," the story picks up some time after the events in the 2012 film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" and follows the Heffleys as they go on a cross-country roadtrip to visit Greg and Rodrick's grandmother, who is about to celebrate her 90th birthday.
The family encounters humorous challenges along the way, especially when the kids are forbidden to use any type of technology for the whole duration of the trip. This may be the film's way of reminding the current generation's attachment to the digital world and what seems to be people's need for constant entertainment through technology.
Dennis Harvey of Variety also commented on some types of humor used in the film, which he described as something that will "have most adults rolling their eyes." However, there are still other things that the viewers will enjoy, particularly the "I Confess" game, wherein Greg gives Rodrick, who is known to be a prankster, a taste of his own medicine.
Alex Welch of IGN, on the other hand, gave the movie a negative verdict, saying that it is "yet another disappointing attempt by Hollywood to deliver an adaptation worthy of its source material."
Additionally, he said, "It trades in both the relatability and wisdom of Jeff Kinney's writing for unoriginal, lackluster slapstick gags about a flock of birds attacking and pooping on a family in their minivan, and an overconfident teenager throwing up on an amusement park ride after eating too many sticks of fried butter."
