CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG
★★★
OUT NOW / CERT PG / 96 MINS
DIRECTOR Walt Becker
CAST Darby Camp, Jack Whitehall, Izaac Wang
Walt Becker’s live-action take on Norman Bridwell’s 1960s children’s books is a strange concoction, but there’s something pleasingly old-school about it — almost a tonal tribute to sweet ’90s dog-antic comedies like Beethoven and the live-action 101 Dalmatians. Emily Elizabeth (Big Little Lies’ Darby Camp) is the lonely kid who bonds with the titular red mutt — which swiftly grows into a cutesy canine kaiju — while Jack Whitehall gives good gurn playing her hapless uncle Casey, as the trio together evade shady biotech firm Lyfegro. The CGI isn’t always where it needs to be — Clifford can be a bit floaty, and seems to change size from scene to scene — but he’s an undeniably cute creation. Good dog.