Review of Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension

I love Phineas and Ferb. I saw my first episode a little later than most people have, but ever since I've been pretty obsessed with it. But the problem with making a movie out of a TV show is that it has to be good. Really good. Otherwise it just doesn't work. The one thing that disappointed me most though was that during half the movie, Phineas was acting completely out of character: he was angry. Really angry. Almost to the point of holding a grudge. And he went on and on about it too. I had assumed when I'd heard about the movie's storyline that when Phineas found out that Perry was a secret agent, there'd be a sarcastic, stressful moment and then Phineas would smile and say, "Cool!", with his goody-two-shoes, meek and ambitious personality. His frustration was poorly done as well. Instead of making the viewer think, "Wow! Phineas is mad! He must really care about this!" the way it does in the special, "Summer Belongs to You!", the plot gives the impression of, "This is a completely normal reaction to discovering that your pet platypus has been dueling with a hunchback pharmacist for the past five years." Phineas isn't normal. His having a normal reaction dampers on his characterization. The second thing that drove me bonkers about the movie is that it's actually sad at the end. Phineas and Ferb will never remember their crazy encounter with their pet secret agent, but Perry will. Perry now knows what it's like to be treated like an equal by the boys. After the boys are brainwashed, they will treat Perry like an animal again, seeing him as less of a friend and more of a pet. Darn, I feel sorry for Perry! He's lost a whole side of the relationship with his two best friends. The movie's humor wasn't spectacular, but it was pretty good. The plot wasn't inspiring nor did it contain any greater meaning, but it was definitely thrilling. Overall, however, I thought that this movie was worse than "Summer Belongs to You!". It's good to know that the show will go on as if nothing has happened, but the effects of the adventure on Perry will also be forgotten. My respect for Phineas and Ferb has decreased, but it's not destroyed. If the creators of the show keep up the good work and redeem themselves in the episodes, my obsession may return. :)