Films to see

102 Dalmatians is a classic victim of the sequel syndrome - it steals bits from the original and implements them in an unsuccessful and even lame manner. The only new thing in this film is the fact that it features a lot of psychology ranging from classical conditioning to spot envy. And even that is not very successful.

Where the first film of the series had absurd but original characters, this film offers only cheap and borderline insulting stereotypes that add nothing to the story. It also features some shameless sexism from the less harmful blue-for-boys and pink-for-girls to the more extreme case where a male dog is invited to a cool party while his female companion is left home to watch the kids without any possibility of discussion (or any dog equivalent).

Instead of clever and enjoyable slapstick, 102 Dalmatians only offers the type where people and objects are being damaged in a blunt and unimaginative way. There are even strong elements of mob lynching, which will in turn make any sane viewer feel sorry for the villain. Because of this unnecessary cruelty, I would actually advise against showing this film to children, and since it is plain boring anyway, there is probably no point in anybody at all watching it.

It is also a lot less technically sophisticated than the first film, and it features a lot of lazy CGI instead of real animals, making the whole thing look phoney and like a missed opportunity. If, after all of this, you still decide to watch this nauseatingly pseudo-romantic film about dogs being tits, better watch it already in bed or at least take a pillow - you won't be awake for long.