Official Synopsis
Everybody’s favorite wimp, Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon), is back for three times the fun in the latest film based on the super-popular book series! When Greg’s dad (Steve Zahn) threatens to send him to military school if he doesn’t stay out of trouble, Greg finds all-new ways to land himself in the doghouse! For starters, Greg’s in over his head when he pretends to work at the swanky country club where Rowley’s family has a membership. Things don’t go much better on a father-son camping trip with the Wilderness Explorers, and then there’s the Heffley’s new dog, Sweetie, who fetches even more trouble
First and foremost, fans of the book are going to love this film. It’s straight from the book, sans a few things here and there, but it follows the general storyline pretty well. My middle daughter is a huge fan of the series and seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Fans of the series will find the same funny antics through their favorite characters, as well as fill-in-the-blank moments with animation that comes straight out of the book. So, as I said before, fans of the series will instantly connect with the film.
Now, for those of us who have never seen or read a ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’, this movie is somewhere below a Disney ‘made for television’ production. Diary of a Wimpy Kid puts a lighthearted twist to a very shallow story that might have/should have stayed on the page rather than shown on a screen. It tends to jump around quite a bit, which is a major problem for book to screen productions. For example, we have Greg going from getting yelled at by his dad to showing up in a civil war reenactment to his dad getting a dog after a family cookout. Understandably, a diary would in fact jump from day to day with something different, but it doesn’t work as well onscreen — at least not for this reviewer. What you initially get with Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a movie that tends to have funny moments, but no real connection between those moments. Don’t’ get me wrong, director David Bowers tries to form a bridge between the moments without compromising the material, but it seems strained at times.
I know that fans of the book will love this movie, but I’m not sure who else after that will. There are so many better productions out there offered for kids.
Anyway, Zachary Gordon is back as Greg Heffley, and we get to see the world through his eyes as his summer antics get turned sideways. Gordon’s supporting cast includes Steve Zahn as Greg’s father Frank, Devon Bostick as his rowdy brother Rodrick and Robert Capron as Rowley, Greg’s best friend.
As for the Blu-ray portion of the film, you get a lot of value here. 20th Century Fox, who isn’t known for the greatest Blu-ray conversions for films that aren’t absolute hits (see Rain Man for details), did a fantastic job with the Blu-ray transfer on this movie. While there is a little grain in some of the yellow tinted scenes, the majority of the film looks pretty sharp. For example, when Greg and Chirag are setting the honey trap for the opposing campers, you can see the fine drippy details of the honey on their stringed trap. There are lots of good visual details in this Blu-ray.
As for special features, here’s what you’re looking at:
● Commentary by Director David Bowers
● Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Director David Bowers
● Class Clown Animated Short
● Gag Reel
● FX Movie Channel presents Wimpy Empire
● Theatrical Trailer
● Sneak Peak
The added value here is nice. I think that the deleted scenes, animated short and the gag reel will certainly make the kids go gah-gah over the special features. They may not last long, but they’re better than what you typically get with this sort of release. As for the adults, you’ll be happy with the commentary. I think David Bowers really believed in this project and it shows. Overall, I think the special features are good.