Sequel's plot entertains audience

By Morgan Conklin
Summer Reporter

"Dr. Dolittle 2," a predictable sequel to the first movie, keeps audiences entertained as the doctor tries to save his precious animals from developmental destruction.

In case you missed the first round of Dolittle, it would be important to know that Dr. Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) possesses a unique ability, allowing him to communicate with the animal population.

His ability sounds more like a psychological problem until a beaver asks Dolittle to become a hero by saving a forest from demolition. He accepts this plea and the plot goes on from there.

It turns out that the only way to save the forest is by getting two endangered species of Pacific Western bears to mate. Easier said than done.

The female bear, Ava, ( voiced by Lisa Kudrow) lives in the forest and it is up to Dolittle to find her a suitable partner; the problem is that the only male bear of that species Dolittle can find is a circus performer who has no survival skills.

Either way, after showing Archie the bear ( voiced by Steve Zahn) pictures of Ava, Dolittle is able to persuade him to meet her.

Dolittle acts as the mediator between the two bears — he talks to Ava and she seems uninterested in the whole idea because she is already in a relationship, besides, why would she consider mating with a civilized bear? That is a turn-off.

Discouraged, Dolittle begins to teach Archie the ways of a wild bear through an intense, Rocky-esque training session. The idea fails miserably, and Dolittle just accepts the fact that Archie will always be a "city bear."

At this point, Archie takes over the situation and decides to win Ava over with his charm, rather than his ability to be a typical wild bear. The two spend the day enjoying each other’s company; however, they run into Ava’s "bear friend," and Ava parts with him, leaving Archie alone.

Just when you thought the movie couldn’t get any more upsetting, it does. It turns out that since Dolittle was unsuccessful in mating the two bears, the developers are allowed to clear the land of the trees. The developers are willing to give the animals a minuscule piece of land but it won’t be enough to house the entire forest population.

Archie, disappointed that he was unable to become the hero of the day, makes one more desperate attempt at winning over Ava for the purpose of mating as well as having a life-long companion.

Archie climbs over the edge of a cliff to grab a honeycomb for Ava, and after being bombarded with bees, he is successful. Ava thinks that is the best thing anyone had every done for her and she dumps her "bear friend" for Archie.

Imagine that — Dolittle’s animals come through under pressure for the good of humanity. If you didn’t see that one coming, the movie’s finale will be more of a surprise.

In all, "Dr. Dolittle 2" consisted of a shallow plot that takes minimal consciousness to comprehend. However, the comedic angle and the talking animals combine to form an entertaining movie for audiences of all ages.