Ron’s Review

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From all the films I expected to see at the Cineplex Monday Surprise Movie, Coyote vs. Acme was never on the list. It’s a Warner Bros. film, with John Cena in it. I expected this film to have all the fanfare. 

Then again, this is one of the films that WB tried to write off for taxes a few years ago — something they successfully managed to do with Batgirl. But I guess when John Cena is in a movie, it gets another lease on life. 

Behind the scenes drama aside, I weirdly enjoyed Coyote vs. Acme. It was surprising to see cartoon characters from my childhood reappear on the big screen. Wile E. Coyote was such a joke of a character when we were kids. But he’s treated more seriously in this film. He’s an aggrieved and injured party and he needs human help to get justice against ACME.

Enter Will Forte’s Kevin, a lawyer in name only. He represents cartoons with grievances against ACME, but he always gets them to settle. He’s not a court-kinda guy. But Coyote doesn’t just have a case – he has a mega case. And soon, Kevin is up against his nemesis, ACME’s lawyer, Buddy Crane, aka John Cena in a suit. Buoyed by his hard-working, justice-minded niece, Paige (Lana Condor), and Coyote’s determination, Kevin decides to take on the big corp, even if it means losing everything else.

This movie was quite fun. It was also a bit funny – could have definitely been funnier. But there was some decent laugh-out-loud moments. I also like that they didn’t do that annoying thing where they say everything in dialogue. There were visual gags to enjoy. Also, Coyote doesn’t speak, so you have to focus on the screen.

I will say that the pacing could have been stronger – some of the edits took a touch too long to kick in. There were some emotional elements that felt rushed; Kevin and Coyote’s relationship see-saws a bit too much until settling in the final act. Would have been nice to see that evolve more organically.

What I was surprised by was seeing how Coyote vs. Acme tackled the issue of the little guy fighting a mega-corp. They’re surprisingly empathetic about the situation; and they even manage to capture how mega-corps are able to proudly declare the awful things they do without consequences. I didn’t expect them to land that plotline, but it was well-done.

This is a nice, diverting film. The animation is really well-done, and the seamless integration with live-action actors was quite the marvel to watch. Will we be talking about this film in a few years? Probably not. But I am glad I got to watch it.

Mon’s Review

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I could not believe that the Cineplex Surprise Premiere was Coyote vs. Acme. That’s for festival and indie fare. But it goes to show you how little Warner Bros. is betting on this film. 

The film is a legal dramedy where Wile E. Coyote, sick and tired of being injured in his attempts to catch the Roadrunner, hears an ad for a law firm, Avery, Maltese & Jones. The ad promises to get cartoon complainants compensation for the damage inflicted on them by Acme products. Coyote brings his extensive case to Kevin Avery (Will Forte), but it takes a mix-up to convince Avery to take the case.

With his niece and associate Paige (Lana Condor) by his side, but resources dwindling, Avery must go up against Acme, whose legal team is headed up by Avery’s nemesis, Buddy Crane (John Cena). 

The film is a mix of animation and live-action, a feat that will never not amaze me. But the interactions between human and cartoon characters, especially the cartoon props, was virtually seamless in this film.

Coyote vs. Acme, in general, is quite a by-the-numbers story. The pacing was also stodgy. Story beats can be predictable but also pacey. That wasn’t the case with the film. And, I wish the film had been funnier. You could see them straining to evoke more laughs. But the jokes simply didn’t land.

The cartoon bits though, were intentionally, unfunny. I do wonder how we all grew up as stable citizens of the world having watched such brutal, relentless violence in these cartoons. Watching those scenes in the film made me wonder “How was that fun?” 

All that is beside the point. Coyote vs. Acme is a reflection of the propagandist, capitalist society we’re all trapped in. Especially those living in the US. Where is the hope when the system is against you? When you’re dehumanized, uncared for, and dispensable? That’s the question the film is asking. And I am still gobsmacked that this story was greenlit. And also not so surprising that so much was done to pull the film as well. 

While Coyote vs. Acme isn’t a stellar story, and the direction is plodding, the live-action and animation interactions are seamless, and the core theme of battling a capitalist society is one that we should all take to heart.