Dennis the Menace (1993) Reviews

• Great movie for kids of any age

  The_unemployed_cynic2003-06-19

  How can this movie get such a low rating? It is really well made, has some very funny moments and the casting is excellent. Dennis is cute as a button and totally believable, his parents are.. well, just perfect and mr Wilson is the best mr Wilson you could wish for. The same applies to many of the smaller roles. And then there is Christopher Lloyd in one of his best performances ever. I loved this movie, both the first and second time I saw it. It deserves at least an 8, so I gave it a 9 to boost the score.

• *** out of ****

  clay-81998-12-29

  "Dennis the Menace" is unique in its own way because it's observant. This movie made me laugh at stuff i've always laughed at and things i'd never thought I would laugh at. The film can be surprisingly innocent at times and sincere and heartwarming. And the kid who plays Dennis is a way better actor than Macaulay Culkin. I liked the film for its imagination and humor. A good film. I also liked how they showed Dennis trying to resist the temptation to do something bad but can't resist.

• Entertaining and funny, where I think the pros outweigh the cons

  TheLittleSongbird2010-09-30

  This is far from a perfect family comedy, but I consider it one of the most underrated ones. Amy Sakasitz as Margaret Wade is rather annoying and the usually excellent Christopher Lloyd is sadly over-the-top and distracting as Switchblade Sam complete with a subplot that was a little too violent and doesn't fit with the overall tone of the movie. However, Dennis the Menace despite what its reputation and rating suggests is actually very entertaining and does a pretty good job with the transition from comic to movie. It has been criticised for taking too much ideas from the Home Alone movies and I suppose that's true with the sight gags, but I personally think the sight gags are funny. The cinematography is good, the soundtrack is fun, the story while predictable is well structured and interesting, the pacing is brisk and the direction is efficient. And the acting with exception of Lloyd is not bad at all. Mason Gamble thankfully isn't the annoying brat I was expecting prior to seeing this film, instead he is cute and funny as the mischievous yet well-meaning Dennis, while Walter Matthau from the facial expressions to the delivery of the dialogue is brilliant as Mr Wilson. Joan Plowright is also very touching and Lea Thompson and Robert Stanton also do well as Dennis's parents. In conclusion, it is a decent and entertaining film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

• Uneven with it's story, but not as bad as some say it is

  gavin-thelordofthefu-48-4602972012-05-29

  There are some things that went wrong with this film and I never read the comic strip, but I don't think it's as bad as everyone says it is. I'll start off with the positives. The acting on the whole isn't that bad. Walter Matthau did a good job as Mr. Wilson as did Robert Stanton, Lea Thompson and Joan Plowright, but I think that Mason Gamble steals the show as the most likable title character who got the personality and characterization right. Even his chemistry with Walter Matthau was decent. Also, Christopher Lloyd was very sinister as the main villain and he steals the show as well. The scenery is nice and it has some nice cinematography. I also liked the music from Jerry Goldsmith. Not the best here, but still worth listening. However, the story, while having its nice moments, falls into the predictable zone and the script feels flat and would've been so much better. Some of the humor gave me some chuckles (Dennis causing some trouble to Mr. Wilson and the baked beans farting scene), but some of them lacked wit and the pacing was very mediocre. Overall, uneven with it's story and pacing, but not as bad as some say it is. I'm giving this a 6/10 because of it's likable cast and some nice scenery.

• This movie is best compared to "Home Alone" and the better of the two.

  JerBet1999-01-11

  I feel really badly that this movie is on the list of worst according to average vote. If you consider that it relies very much on slap-stick humour, which does not appeal to everyone, that might explain its poor showing. The movie is best compared to "Home Alone." I feel it is by far the better of the two movies. Dennis is wide-eyed and innocent and the slap-stick scenarios are 'accidental' rather than contrived as in "Home Alone." This is a movie that elderly parents can watch and be guaranteed to have a good time. It is also a movie that kids will love. If those in between can't appreciate it, that speaks a lot for their loss of innocence.