It's not uncommon for a movie to spawn a prequel but it is a n uncommon thing to do when the movie was a flop. As is the case with the film that i'm going to be talking to you all about today as while the TV series that it's based off of was a huge hit spawning several seasons , two spin off shows and two reunion movies amongst several other things the movie that this is meant to be a prequel to wasn't that good and was loathed by both the actors of the original show and by alot of fans of the original show and so then join me as I review the film that is to date the last thing to be done with The Dukes Of Hazzard franchise with the film in question being called simply just "The Dukes Of Hazzard: The Beginning" enjoy.
The plot of this film is when there farm is threatened with foreclosure it's up to teenage cousins Bo and Luke to find a way to raise the money needed to buy the fark back before it's far to late. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad as this is after all a direct to DVD movie and therefor it wouldn't be wise to expect this films plot to be up to the same standards as a theatrically released film but at the same time tho this films plot also isn't as good as it could have been either with the plot of this film feeling like that it's the plot of a made for TV movie and with it meant to bet set in the same continuity as the 2005 Dukes Of Hazzard movie it means that this films plot is a about as far removed from that of the original show as you can get as this films changes so much about the characters backstories that it might as well as a prequel to a different film all together but to give this films plot this it is a plot that does work well with the direct to DVD format as even tho this films plot has the feel of a direct to DVD movie it's also alot more better then what it really had any right to be as there is some kind of effort to recapture the tone and spirit of the original show which is something that the previous film didn't even attempt to do with the plot of this film also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Starring in this film is Jonathan Bennett as Bo Duke , Randy Wayne as Luke Duke and April Scott as Daisy Duke. Also starring in this film is Adam Shulman as Enos Strate , Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse , Chris McDonald as Boss Hogg , Sherilyn Fenn as Lulu Coltrane Hogg , Harland Williams as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane , Jennifer Hill as Brooke Handy , Trishelle Cannatella as Ally Handy , Todd Grinnell as Hughie Hogg , Joel Moore as Cooter Davenport and Gary Cole as The Balladeer.
Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad. With all of this films actors turning in some passable performances but that's all they are there just passable which is something that does make alot of sense as alot of this films actors are some really unknown actors at best with only a few of them being named stars and only two of them being actually good actors with those two actors being Chris McDonald as Boss Hogg and Joel Moore as Cooter Davenport with the pair of them being the best actors in this film which granted isn't that high of a bar to reach considering the fact that alot of this films aren't that well known in the first place but it's also something that's true as well as they feel like that there only actors that are actually really putting in the work and actually trying to turn in a good performance with the rest of this films actors really feeling like that there just phoning in their performances and even Willie Nelson who really is the only actor from the 2005 film to rerise his role in this film oddly feels like that he's phoning in a performance but that really could be more de to the fact that this films director Robert Berlinger quite clearly has no idea how to get a good performance out of his actors and as such alot of this films actors just feel really lost and unsure of what kind of performance to give in this film with this film acting not really being helped by the fact that this films script is just so bad as it gives none of this films actors absolutely nothing to work with interms of what it is that there respective characters personalities are even meant to be in the first place which is something that really does help to lower the overall quality of the acting that's in this very film.
Character wise the film still isn't that good as the only reason that people would be watching this film was if they loved the show. With this film not really butchering all of the shows characters as you could very well make the case that the damage was done by the 2005 film but at the same time this film is set in that same continuity and therefor it has the same problems when it comes to alot of it's characters as Bo who was quite smart in the show is now dumb for no reason other then the film needed someone to be the dumb one of the two and Luke in this film is someone who just isn't that fun to be around because of the fact that he's always sticking by the rules something which the show version of the character barely did with this being an issue across alot of it's characters as there all presented as being the complete opposite of how people know them to e as for whatever reason the makers of this film thought that it was a good idea to have this be set in the same continuity as the previous film when having be set in the same world as the show would actually be a good idea but because of the fact that the makers of this film like there take on the characters so much all we get is poorly done versions of a solid characters and while granted the characters in the original show weren't that well done either they all had a few things that this films characters are missing and that's personality and charm as the shows characters were very charming characters that had tons of personality to them which in turn made us the audience fall in love with them where as this films takes on the characters is lacking both of those things therefor we the audience don't have the chance to fall in love with them because of the fact that the film doesn't give us a reason to like them in the first place.
Much like with The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas this film not only changes what was previously established in the original show. It also changes what was established in the film that it's meant to be a prequel to however where as Viva Rock Vegas has the excuse of the original show changed it's own backstory and lore all the time this movie has no such excuse there's really only one time in the shows history where they made a slight change to the shows lore and even then it was a throwaway line in the first reunion movie and that's it where as here the film changes everything all for the purpose of doing a prequel movie like for example in the original film we see how The General Lee Bo and Luke's car got it's famous paint job with the car at the start of the film having a very croodly painted on number one on the door where as here the second that we see the car it already has alot of the paint work done already and one the number one does get added on at the end of a montage sequence it looks like that it was done by a professional and in the original fil it's hinted at more then once that the boys and by extension there cousin Daisy grew up in hazzard where as here we see the boys as teenagers being dropped off in town which makes you wonder why the makers of this film thought that it was OK to make these changes as you well could have worked within the limits set by the previous film to still tell a prequel story which would have worked as it would have been more faithful to the previous film and actually would have stayed true to what the previous film was trying to be like in the first place with these changes feeling like that they were only being made just so the makers of the film can have the car in it's more recognizable form and that's really it.
To be fair to both this film and the previous film it could be argued that this film is meant to be an action comedy. As the film does have some thrilling action and chase scenes in it and while yes granted this film won't be able to top the chase scenes that the previous film had just because of the fact that that film had a much more bigger budget then what this film had that doesn't mean that this films chase scene where any bad because if truth be told there not with the car still looking and still outrunning the law just as well as it ever did back on the show and the fact that there's pretty much no CGI in this film at all means that all of the cars stunts where done for realm and they look good because of it with really there only being one small trace of CGI at the very start of the film but even then it's not in an action scene as it's in the scene where Luke accidentally blows up part of a fair where you can see what looks to be some small amounts of CGI smoke but that's really it and even then that scene was still pretty thrilling to watch as well with the best chase scene in the whole entire movie being the films third act where we see the boys kidnap Boss Hogg and get him to admit to all of the crimes that he's committed during the film all they go ahead and jump the car across this rather large ravine where it's said near the start of the film that only a few people tried it jumping it back in the olden days with none of them making it and all of them ending up injured in someway shape or form which does make it all the more thrilling and exciting when the boys in there car not only do the jump but land it safely on the other side and while the rest f the films car chase sequences are fun to watch none of them top just how good that that one chase is in this film.
Again to give this film some sort of credit it does try to be like in the show in one respect and that's the fact that instead of using modern technology like phones to contact each other all of the films characters just use CB radio to get in touch with each other. However that's the only two things that the movie gets right with the other being the fact that Boss treats Rosco like dirt and that's it and even then that second one isn't exclusive to the show itself as while the Boss Hogg character be it from either the previous movie or the original show would try and buy the Duke farm by any means necessary somethin which he would also try to do in the previous film as well here it did feel out of place given the fact that this is meant to be the first time that he's really feuding with the Duke's where as it would have made more sense for him to try something else first before then moving on to try and get there farm one there feud has reached that boiling point like maybe he could have tried going after The General Lee or even just threatening Uncle Jessie with jail time should he not pay up all the money that he owes him which is something that Boss very easily could have done since he's been looking the other way when it comes to Jesse selling illegal alcohol but at the same time tho having hi go right after there farm is a good way of showing us the audience that je really isn't a nice guy and is more then willing to hurt those who he once called a friend all of the sake of making some extra money out of it it is something that tho that really would have been better used if there feud was at that point where Boss Hogg had no other option and really wanted to threaten them.
Now then this film has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly one hour and thirty five minuets and thirty one seconds. Which to be fair to this film is pretty much the exact grand total running time that you'd expect a film like this one to have with the film even having more then plot there to really cover that amount of running time as well but at the same time tho this film also really doesn't use it's running time all that wisely as it's plot as bad as it is is one that's really underdeveloped with the film being more focused on it's prequel aspect then it is in telling a good and well thought out story when as other films have proven you can do both by having the main plot of the film feed into the films prequel aspect or even have it go the other way around as well but because of the fact that this film is alot more focused in telling how all of these aspects from the show came to be it does mean that we get a story that feels really rushed and undercooked with the same thing kind of being true for it's characters as the characters do fair a little bit better then the plot as the film does give us plenty of time with these characters however outside of the opening scene with Bo and Luke we get to find out nothing about these characters that makes them likable or even memorable for that matter which is a shame as the film really does hinge on us liking it's characters due the film even having the predictable third act breakup with the boys only it doesn't work because of the fact that the film hasn't given us a reason to really care for these characters as it's characters are just so bland and boring but I really will admit that this film really does have some really good pacing to it tho.
So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us inn tis very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that good. With there not really being any decent jokes in the film with the film being having quite alot of s*x jokes in it which to be fair is true to the previous film and that world but at the same time it's also not something that you'd expect or either want from The Dukes Of Hazzard where you expect and want the jokes to be more geared towards the family and when the jokes aren't s*x jokes there jokes about how dumb both Bo and Rosco are which OK the original show make jokes about Rosco not being all that smart but they were very few and far between with alot of this films jokes being so bad that there more groan inducing then they are actually funny with the only decent one liners in the film being the stuff that Uncle Jessie and even then that's more due to the fact that the character is being more written for Willie Nelson as they don't feel like the type of jokes that Uncle Jessie would say but at the same time tho they do feel like the types of jokes that Willie Nelson would say as when you think of Uncle Jessie you think of someone who is wise and loving but also harsh when he needs to be and not someone who is willing to make s*x jokes alot of the time and do wordplay jokes the next with the best jokes in this film being the world play jokes that Willie Nelson says as even tho Chris McDonald is funny in this film alot of his jokes just aren't that good where as it's the opposite that's true for alot of Uncle Jessie's jokes in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Overall out of the two remake Dukes Of Hazzard films this one is better then the previous film in one respect but also so much worse then it in other respects as there is a clear effort to make this film feel alot more like the show but at the same time tho this film is still just a really bad film in it's own right in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very film in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very film really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 4.5 out of 10 from me.
Now then as for where I personally got all of the images hat I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from the official The Dukes Of Hazzard fandom wiki page , IMP Awards . Com and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very film that I used in this very review being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very film with alot of them being better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.