F.R.E.D.I.

Normally, family movies of this nature are not my cup of tea, but I thought I would watch this particular one because Kelly Hu was in the cast. As it turned out, while this was some distance from the worst family movies I've seen, the movie does have some problems that hold it back from being a classic. First, the good stuff. The movie's production values look solid for what couldn't have been a low budget, from the cinematography to the special effects. Also, the various characters in the movie (both the kids and the adults) are a lot smarter and realistic than usual, and the performances by the game cast are also pretty good. All the same, there are some significant problems with the package. The main problem is that the movie's basic story has been done so many times before. The premise is old hat, the problems the protagonists have are extremely familiar, and the plot turns are very predictable. Also, the movie moves at a very slow pace, and lacks severe punch when it tries to be exciting or suspenseful. Adults may also be disappointed that Kelly Hu does not get to show off her martial arts skills. Kids will probably like the movie despite these problems, and while their parents may nitpick it more, they will probably admit that they've seen a lot worse.

I can't believe people are asking what F.R.E.D.I. stands for. IF you watched the movie, when James was in the library doing the search, it was there. Future Robotics Engineered Design Innovation. Sheesh, too busy being perfectionist critics to actually watch the movie for the cute story. I do agree though, the bad guy wasn't played very well, or perhaps it wasn't even written very well.

FREDI was a cute family friendly kids film with some sci-fi thrown into the adventure. It is a nice movie for kids to watch by themselves, with their parents and with their grandparents. Which is actually quite refreshing. I watched this and was pleasantly taken back to the era of Goonies, ET, and good old fashioned fun and adventure. It also reminded me of the old Disney kid films like Herbie the Love Bug, and Escape from Witch Mountain. The cinematography was great, it really showcased some beautiful landscapes. The musical score was great as well as pace of the movie. It was a nice amount of continuous action that kept me interested from start to finish. Sure, I can find things that could have been better or done differently, but I'm not going to let it detract from the enjoyment of watching something that kids could enjoy. I'm in my 50's, remember what it was like to be a kid...FREDI was just that, it was a cute kids movie. So for all those who gave this negative reviews...it is a kids film, like Trix, this movie is for kids...and parents are allowed to like it too.

Obviously it was low budget; with rather static CGI effects, and camera angles to hide the person holding fredi in the air...but sorta fun to watch anyway, when you can't find anything else...the movie plot does bear a striking resemblance to an old movie called 'Short Circuit" from way back when... Very dry on the dialog, the two teenagers do show promise , and may be names in the future. fredi herself looks ike a Mattel toy, but is sorta cool...all in all, an interesting mixture of cringe and enjoyment...

We hesitated watching this with my 7 and two 9 year olds, but I'm glad we gave it a go. There wasn't a Common Sense Media review with age recommendations, but I'd say it's fine for 7 and up. We are pretty picky about what we let our kids watch and this one past the test. No bad language, mild flirting, good storyline. There are a few abnoxious kids, but nothing a parent can't contradict with a "now that wasn't very nice" comment. Like others have mentioned, it's reminiscent of some 80s flicks, but our kids haven't seen those, so the storyline was new to them. I'd say the acting was fine except for the bad guy-not great. It's not winning any awards, but honestly, I wish studios made more family movies like this. Good, decent, family entertainment. Don't set your expectations too high, just grab the kiddos, pop some corn and enjoy a movie night together.