Complete with comedy, messages, and a dangerous plot, you’ll enjoy this Netflix Dr. Seuss series a lot.
We’ll begin this review with rhyming, and end it on a serious note.
I’m a film critic, don’t you know,
but when I heard the Dr. Seuss book “Green Eggs & Ham” was hitting Netflix,
I just had to give it a go.
I fell for the 1970s special, especially the book.
And with an A-list cast, I just had to give it a look.
You get Adam Devine as Sam I Am,
whose favorite dish is Green Eggs & Ham (what else?).
And Michael Douglas as Guy Am I,
a struggling inventor who hates the meal poached or fried (or so he thinks).
His inventions, as successful as they are, always explode.
And a rare Chickeraffe leads them on a trek that implodes.
I’ve been curious about how this series will go,
because it has some antagonists you surely must know.
There’s the big man (voiced by Eddie Izzard)
with a big plan.
He must collect this bird who ran.
Well, rescued by Sam, but you get the point.
So, it’s time for him, Guy, and the creature to blow the joint.
Pursuing them are two bounty hunters, voiced by Jillian Bell and Jeffrey Wright,
and an angry goat with John Turturro’s voice and a lot of bite.
But please don’t fret, because other new characters are good.
Some adventurous, some fearful, and a little misunderstood.
Ilana Glazer voices a child, who’s just about done
with Diane Keaton as her overprotective mother, who just no fun.
Then there’s a meditating episode with Tracy Morgan as a fox,
who loves to eat green eggs, while falling for the greenest chick in the hen box.
Next, Daveed Diggs voices a French mouse,
whose attempt to feed his starving family lands him in the big house.
And finally, Keegan-Michael Key is the narrator and the only character with rhymes.
As he tries to do it all the time.
And let’s not get defensive,
because he tries his absolute best not to be offensive.
Boy, am I getting tired of rhyming right now. This Dr. Seuss special has an old-fashioned feel to its animation that reminds you a bit of the 1970s. And it also gives us a dazzling view of the worlds presented here, especially the main city Sam and Guy have to journey to-Meepville.
We all acknowledge the message about trying new things in “Green Eggs & Ham,” but what I wasn’t expecting was its ability to take risks in the story. Each episode (labeled “Here,” “There,” and “Anywhere,” among other single words) explores the two main characters and why Sam loves his favorite dish, and why Guy is a negative Nancy. Devine and Douglas are both delightful and flexible in their vocal performances.
I also enjoyed the supporting characters like the Keaton mother and Glazer daughter, the Wright and Bell hunters, the Izzard villain, and the Turturro goat. Even Key’s fun narration leaps off your computer or TV screen. I just wish I could have seen more of the mouse and fox, instead of them being just cameos.
The comedy here is aimed for kids, teens, and adults, but what’s really winning is it adventurous and good-hearted tone. I know this is a Netflix series, but in a way, it feels like a movie.
This is all I have to say.
Give this series a try and enjoy it you may.
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