I have to say that I was very excited for Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank as the people behind the movie said they were making this as a homage to the awesome Mel Brooks movie, Blazing Saddles. Of course, we have a samurai movie instead of a Western, but the overall theme of the story is very similar. They even managed to get Mel Brooks in the movie which I think is awesome.
How to Download Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Sometime after the film’s theatrical release (which in the USA happened on 14 July 2022), you should be able to stream or download it on Paramount+. Click on the Download button at the end of this review to check the current availability. If you’re in for an animated movie with a similar martial arts theme, check out also Kung Fu Panda and its sequels.
The Movie Review
When you look at the voice cast, they were able to get for this movie it is insane! Michael Cera, Samuel L Jackson, Michelle Yeoh, Rickey Gervais, Djimon Hounsou, and Geroge Takei all have featured roles. I have to think that they were able to get this cast because of the fact that it was inspired by Blazing Saddles and Mel Brooks was on board with the movie.
The plot of the movie is actually quite fun. We have this dog called Hank who is not having a very good time and he ends up finding himself in this town full of nothing but cats! Hank, played by Michael Cera is likable enough and a good reluctant, and goofy kind of hero that is easy to get behind.
This town where all the cats look is having a really hard time. You see the cat’s lives are in danger as an evil warlord called Ika Chu who is a bit Siamese cat wants to wipe this little town off the map! The cats need a hero and that is where Hank comes in. Of course, the fact that cats hate dogs is going to cause a bit of a problem here.
Hank is going to be the hero for the town and stand up against the evil Ika Chu. Thanks to the samurai master, Jimbo (Samuel L Jackson) Hank is going to learn the way of the samurai to try and save the cats village. Honestly apart from the setting being different, this is pretty much Blazing Saddles which I must admit, I got a kick out of.
To be fair, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a decent family movie. It has some fun gags and a lot of action and it looks great too. Plus, we also have that very talented voice cast that does a wonderful job of bringing the story to life. The story is just so very predictable, even if you have not seen Blazing Saddles, it is so obvious what is going to happen. That does not make this a bad movie, just a very predictable one.
One of the things I liked best about the movie was the way they used many different species of cats to try and make the characters feel more unique. This was a good move as to be honest with you, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is one of those movies that is fun while you are watching it, but it is also pretty forgettable. Even though we all enjoyed this, I could not see us wanting to watch it again any time soon.
