As an "Alvin and the Chipmunks" fan, I believe that this franchise has a lot of potential, yet unfortunately is being poorly written, directed and produced (No offence). I get the impression that the film crew working on this franchise are just creating them to get them out of the way, and not paying attention to detail, or anything of this matter.
Action-wise, this franchise is a little on the disappointing side. Sure, there were damsels in distress and a moment of fear evident in the characters' eyes, however, none that would compel you to want to talk about it over and over. These are children's films, I get that, but there are a fair few of individuals older than a child whom are fans as well, and would like to be really up on the edge of that seat. Franchises like "Ice Age" or "Shrek" are rated PG, they make you wonder what's going to happen next, surprise you when a character is faced with life-threatening situations, but then still gives you that good old happy ending, and you leave the theatre feeling pleasantly satisfied. The "Alvin and the Chipmunks" franchise has a lot of potential, however it hasn't exactly met its mark just yet, action-wise. Also, I saw an extreme alteration in the character Ian Hawke's personality. I enjoyed him on screen during the first instalment of "Alvin and the Chipmunks," however, when he just so "happened" to be working as entertainment (Chipwrecked) on the exact same cruise Dave and the chipmunks and the chipettes were on, acting like he had truly lost his marbles and felt a little out of place gave me a bit of a bad impression on the film. To add to this, it felt as though all Dave and Ian were doing throughout the ENTIRE duration of Chipwrecked was arguing and looking for the chipmunks and the chipettes. They didn't really play a very significant role in the third instalment at all. This other character didn't seem very special either; Zoe, the strange yet quirky castaway (or as we find out towards the end, a "Pirate") the chipmunks and the chipettes ran into on the island. She seemed as though she was just created to 'be there', all happy and lively, and then go nuts when suddenly finding out (by 'Simone') there really was gold on the island, that she'd been looking for for nine, or it could be eight years. She didn't really have a back story, besides the fact that she so happened to come across a real treasure map and was more determined than ever to find it when "they" told her she was crazy and said the map was fake. There also was no story behind the treasure map or how the gold was embedded there; did it just happen to be there?
Action-wise, this franchise is a little on the disappointing side. Sure, there were damsels in distress and a moment of fear evident in the characters' eyes, however, none that would compel you to want to talk about it over and over. These are children's films, I get that, but there are a fair few of individuals older than a child whom are fans as well, and would like to be really up on the edge of that seat. Franchises like "Ice Age" or "Shrek" are rated PG, they make you wonder what's going to happen next, surprise you when a character is faced with life-threatening situations, but then still gives you that good old happy ending, and you leave the theatre feeling pleasantly satisfied. The "Alvin and the Chipmunks" franchise has a lot of potential, however it hasn't exactly met its mark just yet, action-wise. Also, I saw an extreme alteration in the character Ian Hawke's personality. I enjoyed him on screen during the first instalment of "Alvin and the Chipmunks," however, when he just so "happened" to be working as entertainment (Chipwrecked) on the exact same cruise Dave and the chipmunks and the chipettes were on, acting like he had truly lost his marbles and felt a little out of place gave me a bit of a bad impression on the film. To add to this, it felt as though all Dave and Ian were doing throughout the ENTIRE duration of Chipwrecked was arguing and looking for the chipmunks and the chipettes. They didn't really play a very significant role in the third instalment at all. This other character didn't seem very special either; Zoe, the strange yet quirky castaway (or as we find out towards the end, a "Pirate") the chipmunks and the chipettes ran into on the island. She seemed as though she was just created to 'be there', all happy and lively, and then go nuts when suddenly finding out (by 'Simone') there really was gold on the island, that she'd been looking for for nine, or it could be eight years. She didn't really have a back story, besides the fact that she so happened to come across a real treasure map and was more determined than ever to find it when "they" told her she was crazy and said the map was fake. There also was no story behind the treasure map or how the gold was embedded there; did it just happen to be there?