Rent Rumble (2021)

Rumble (aka Monster on the Hill) review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Paramount may have been seeking to make a big return to theatrical animation in 2021 with Spongebob’s third movie and the original film Rumble. Sadly, both of them went straight to their streaming service of Paramount+. It’s just as well. Rumble debuted with little fanfare by dropping in December of 2021, hidden amid all the bigger holiday films. Had this hit theaters, it’d be such a snoozer it could’ve dealt a huge blow to Paramount’s future ideas for animation.

Rumble is really nothing special, despite an intriguing premise. The idea is that humans exist in a world where giant monsters are common but they work more for entertainment than taking over Earth. It’s never answered why this is the case and why the monsters find themselves taking on deals for bigger contracts and fame. What use would they have for all the admiration of a certain community? Do they have giant houses? There seem to be giant bars, arenas, and gyms built to accommodate them.

Yes, I know these are nitpicky questions that are borderline pointless. But these are problems that crop up when you’re watching such a lukewarm and forgettable sports story told without much flair. The story involves a community that rallies behind the tentacled monster Tentacular (Terry Crews). He’s the hometown hero who always draws a crowd whenever there’s a fight scheduled for him. Unfortunately, for the major fans of this town, Tentacular has decided to skip town and take on a new contract. The fans feel betrayed and the town falls into disarray. They need a new hero.

The plucky giant monster wrestling fan Winnie (Geraldine Viswanathan) takes it upon herself to find the new monster who can save the day. That monster is Steve (Will Arnett), a horned and furry creature who is not very skilled. He works fights where he’s paid to take a dive but can’t even do that right. With enough training, however, perhaps this tepid underdog can live up to the legacy of his dad and beat back on the showboating nature of Tentacular.

The most fascinating thing about this film is how it was produced by the WWE. WWE is no stranger to producing wrestling narratives that do more to placate their performative sport than criticize it. The film wants us to despise Tentacular for turning his back on his hometown for a bigger deal. But isn’t that the notion that comes with performative wrestling? The film seems to suggest that wrestling has more to do with representing your appreciation for the community that supports you rather than just being a series of contract negotiations and stagings. This is the narrative that WWE seems to approve but it’s far from how the WWE operates.

These external questions popped into my head considering there’s so little to latch onto in the film. The slapstick is so par for the course. The humor is way too routine to ever land a laugh. The script slogs along more like a standard, watered-down animated sports movie that seems markedly sound but artistically divorced. There’s so much that takes you out of the film it’s enough to make you wanna open another tab while it plays in the background.

Really, though, Rumble doesn’t have anything all that much to get hot and bothered over. It’s bad, sure, but it looks decent and the message is strong, even if it seems a bit hypocritical with the branding association. If your kids pressure you to put this on, there’s worse stuff you could be watching. There are also far better-animated shows out there.