On Jan. 17, director Stephen Gaghan released the fantasy and action film “Dolittle” as a reboot to the Doctor Dolittle film series. This film centers around John Dolittle, a character based on the children’s book “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle.” The titular character is played by actor Robert Downey Jr..

Dolittle is a man who can talk to animals and treat their injuries. He is also a voyager, saving animals from different places while traveling. Later on, he meets a girl named Lily and she starts going on voyages with him. Eventually, the two get married and live together in a mansion called Dolittle Manor. However, Lily dies from an accident and Dolittle goes into isolation as a result of that, only surrounding himself with animals that he’s saved. 

Dolittle’s isolation lasts for 7 years, ending when the Queen of England personally requests him to visit her as she has become ill. This leads Dolittle on another voyage, where he continues a quest his late wife started and aims to get an antidote for the Queen. Dolittle’s animal friends and a new apprentice join him on the voyage.

The movie had some positives to it, including concept and visual presentation. The concept of the character Dolittle and the idea of a voyage made the film something that should be worth watching. In terms of the visuals, the colors and the sets are well done. It’s different compared to the neutral tones of other movies and can be a good refresher from them.

The characters in this movie were good as well. Most of them had interesting personalities and good development throughout the movie. This especially goes for the animals, as they each added their own touch to the film. However, the development of the movie’s villains could have been done better.

The two main downsides to this film is its execution of the plot and humor.  In terms of execution, there were some points where the film rushes whatever event it’s on and doesn’t give the audience enough time to process what has happened so far. For humor, it comes down to personal preference and will either be a hit or miss.

Overall, Dolittle is a film that will keep you watching and wanting to know what happens next, especially given the story and its protagonists. However, the pacing of the movie and its humor makes it fall short from being a good addition to the Dolittle film series.