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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 17 January 2020

In this undated photo provided by WWE, Inc., "Mean" Gene
Okerlund interviews Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson.
Associated Press
Wrestler Rocky Johnson,

Dwayne Johnson's This image released by Universal Pictures shows Dr. John Dolittle, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.,

father, dead at 75 right, with Jip, voiced by Tom Holland, in a scene from "Dolittle." Associated Press

By DAN GELSTON Rocky moniker from his fa- Review: ‘Dolittle,’ with Robert
AP Sports Writer ther. Johnson came to his Downey Jr., is a disaster
Rocky "Soulman" John- son's aid after a match at
son, a WWE Hall of Fame WrestleMania in 1997. The
wrestler who became bet- Rock inducted his father By JAKE COYLE and animals? At the very otherwise. The film, penned
ter known as the father of into the WWE Hall of Fame Dr. Dolittle, who favored least, you would think, no by Gaghan, Dan Gregor
actor Dwayne "The Rock" in 2008. animals and shunned hu- amount of special effects and Doug Mand, conjures
Johnson, has died. He was Former professional wrestler mans, was on to something. can completely dilute such a different reason for the
75. Brian Blair, another 1980s The century of human his- a vibrant and clever actor. book’s sailing adventure.
WWE issued a statement on WWE star, was friends with tory since Hugh Lofting, in He was even good in the Here, the doctor begins as
Johnson's death Wednes- Johnson for decades and 1920, created his eccen- Marvel movies! a bearded recluse, grieving
day night. Johnson and they still went to church tric veterinarian character But perhaps the biggest the loss of his explorer wife
Tony Atlas became the together in the Tampa, has only made Dolittle a disappointment of “Dolit- from behind the locked
first black world tag team Florida area. Blair told more astute fictional figure, tle” isn’t the incoherent sto- walls of his animal-populat-
champions in WWE history The Associated Press on and a natural candidate ry line, the suffocating CGI ed estate. He sets off on a
when they defeated The Wednesday that Johnson for big-screen resurrection. or the unfunny stable of trip to find a remedy for an
Wild Samoans on Dec. 10, had complained of an un- Aquaman can talk to the celebrity-voiced creatures. ailing Queen Victoria (Jes-
1983. specified illness of late and fishes but Dolittle has the It’s that Downey’s person- sie Buckley), a hectic, sea-
The statement didn't pro- had missed church that he ability to converse with all ality doesn’t come through faring journey that jumps
vide details on the cause attended with Blair and fauna. at all, either a victim of the from one harried scene to
or location of Johnson's other former wrestlers. Blair But if they could speak, no surrounding mess or a party another.
death. said Johnson's wife, Sheila, realm of the animal king- to it. Seemingly going for But “Dolittle” isn’t about
"A loss for every fan of @ was distraught over her dom — no penguin, para- a tamer Johnny Depp-as- much beside the gags of
WWE, Rocky Johnson was husband's death. keet or panda — would Jack Sparrow-styled per- the CGI animals, none of
a barrier-breaking per- "He was just under the have anything good to say formance, Downey dons whom do much to help
former. Our thoughts are weather, he thought he about Stephen Gaghan’s a vaguely Welsh accent, Downey. I hesitate to name
with his family at this time," had the flu or something," “Dolittle,” a big-budget deepening his voice in a their voice actors, since
WWE executive and wres- Blair said by phone. "I said, train wreck in which things hushed tone. Worse, much guessing them is one of the
tler Paul "Triple H" Levesque 'You, need to get checked go so awry that it can’t of his dialogue seems to movie’s primary sources of
tweeted. out, Rocky.' He said he'd even be said to be strictly have been overdubbed, entertainment. But you’ll
Johnson later helped train be OK. Then he missed this for the dogs. a likely component of the spot Emma Thompson as a
his son, who adopted the Sunday, a few days ago. q “Dolittle,” starring Rob- movie’s extensive rework- parrot, Rami Malek as a go-
ert Downey Jr., arrives just ing in post-production rilla, Kumail Nanjiani as an
‘Better Call Saul’ weeks after the advent of and reshoots. It distances ostrich, Selena Gomez as a
giraffe and Jason Mantzou-
“Cats,” another Universal Downey — he sounds literal-
gets renewed for Pictures release likewise ly elsewhere — in a fantasy kas as a dragonfly.
6th and final season stuffed with computer that’s already plenty adrift. None of them have any
The movie is based on the character to speak of;
generated animals. “Do-
little” is a more harmless second of Lofting’s books, they’re there for increas-
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — “Better Call Saul” has been and whimsical family en- “The Voyages of Doctor ingly weak jokes, which
renewed for a sixth and final season consisting of 13 tertainment, less likely to Dolittle.” He created the culminate in a scene re-
episodes that will air in 2021. provoke nightmares than character first to, in letters volving around a dragon’s
The upcoming fifth season debuts Feb. 23-24 on AMC. the digitally furred felines home from the World War I flatulence. A problem, as
The “Breaking Bad” prequel starring Bob Odenkirk will of Tom Hooper’s Andrew front, entertain his children. ever, is that buckets of vi-
air 10 episodes this year focusing on main charac- Lloyd Webber adaptation. Dolittle first appeared on sual effects are never good
ter Jimmy McGill’s decision to practice law as Saul But, just the same, the two screen in the 1967 movie, for comedy. And as last
Goodman, which creates unexpected changes for films together could be the with Rex Harrison, and later year’s “Lion King” proved,
those around him. worst setback for animalia in a series begun in 1998, hyper realism doesn’t do
Executive producer Peter Gould told a TV critics since global warming, or at with Eddie Murphy. “Do- talking animals any favors.
meeting on Thursday that it’s the run everyone on least “Howard the Duck.” little,” you can tell, doesn’t The way things are going,
the show wanted. After season four, Gould said he It’s tempting to think: Well, sound like Gaghan’s kind animal rights activists may
began envisioning how it would end.q it can’t be that bad. Who of thing, and none of the soon need to move to pro-
doesn’t like both Downey results will convince you tect digital animals, too.q