Line #39 Film/TheodoreRex


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_116081636_1300x1733.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: And it just gets weirder from there.]]
3
4	->''"Did anything weird happen tonight?"''
5	-->-- '''Theodore'''
6
7	A [[BuddyCopShow buddy cop]] science-fiction family film written and directed by Jonathan Betuel and starring Creator/WhoopiGoldberg.
8
9	According to an OpeningScroll, the story is set in a [[DarkerAndEdgier Dark and Edgy]] {{Cyberpunk}} city "A long time ago in the future", where humans coexist with [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals]] that have been resurrected and genetically modified by well-known billionaire and scientist Elizar Kane. It's essentially a [[BuddyCopShow buddy cop]] movie with ''dinosaurs''. Theodore is an anthro ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' who wants to be a cop. He gets his chance when he is partnered with Katie Coltrane (Goldberg) to solve another the murder of another anthro ''T. rex'' named Oliver.
10
11	Compare ''Film/HowardTheDuck''.
12	----
13	!!Tropes used:
14	* AbhorrentAdmirer:
15	** While she's at the dinosaur cantina, Coltrane encounters a drunken, anthro ''Protoceratops'' who is immediately smitten by her and wolf-whistles at her. After a while, she also comes across an anthro ''Ceratosaurus'' with a big, toothy grin who's far more blatant in his advances, whom she rejects in a mocking way.
16	--> '''Coltrane''': Are you thinkin' you're gonna get somebody? Not tonight buddy!
17	** At the end, [[spoiler:during the ceremony congratulating Teddy for successfully stopping Kane and his associates, the anthro ''Proto'' from before is among the attendees and wolf-whistles at Coltrane when he sees her again, much to her annoyance.]]
18	* ActionGirl: Katie Coltrane, natch. Say what you want about the movie, the girl does have a handful of moments where she proves her badassery.
19	* AdaptationalExpansion: The Scholastic novel adaptation, which is likely based on an earlier draft of the script, gives a lot more details on the story, world and characters. It also [[AdaptationalDeviation changes up a few things from the film]], being slightly DarkerAndEdgier, cutting down on a few of the wacky scenes, showcasing more of the FantasticRacism dinosaurs deal with, and giving more focus to the environmental problems of the future.
20	* BaitAndSwitch: A rather bizarre attempt at one; when Teddy is being partnered with Coltrane, the camera cuts to this large muscular guy with a dramatic music cue, who is then shoved out of the way by the actual Coltrane. This gag probably could've worked... if this had been Coltrane's introduction into the movie. However, by this point they had ''already established'' Coltrane to be Whoopi Goldberg's character in prior scenes, leaving one to wonder how the filmmakers thought that joke was supposed to work.
21	* BecauseDestinySaysSo: [[BigBad Kane]] clearly sides with the nature side of the "nurture vs. nature" debate.
22	-->"The genetic code [is] the map of our destiny, and we are all slaves to our DNA".
23	* BigBad: Billionaire Elizar Kane is the primary mastermind beneath the movie's suspicious events as well as [[TheDragon Spinner's]] criminal activities, all in his pursuit to unleash a nuclear missile named "[[MeaningfulName New Eden]]" which will create a new Ice Age that will destroy the planet, so he can create his own vision of the Garden of Eden and start things anew. In case you didn't know, the introductory text to the movie pretty much says it right at the beginning.
24	* TheBigBoard: You can clearly see in the background for a scene at a police station that it tries for some neopunk style version of the giant battlemap with young waifs pushing units around with croupier rakes. However the overblown size and odd dress code means that it looks more like the Olympic curling team are pushing around Hershey's Kisses.
25	* CharacterDevelopment: [[TheHero Coltrane]] starts out the film as being just as [[NobleBigot prejudiced]] toward anthro-saurs as every other human, but she eventually warms up to Teddy and sees him as a genuine friend, while Teddy himself begins building up more and more confidence and [[spoiler:is ultimately the one to undo and expose Kane's EvilPlan to the world]].
26	* CarnivoreConfusion: Apparently, anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurs subsist entirely on... milk and cookies. Teddy calls himself a "recovering carnivore", falling under the type where carnivorism in talking-animal land is akin to alcoholism.
27	* CoDragons: Spinner and Dr. Veronica Shade are Kane's top henchmen, and Spinner in turn leads a small band of criminals who aid him. While Spinner seems to be the one in charge of criminal operations and anything regarding brute force, Kane ultimately regards him as another pathetic, petty thief and later has Shade [[spoiler:callously kill Spinner when he [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness is of no more use]] to Kane's schemes]].
28	* {{Cyborg}}: [[spoiler:Coltrane is revealed to be one when Kane shoots her and causes her circuits to malfunction, leaving her unable to fight for the rest of the climax. Presumably, other policemen have been mechanically modified as well. It is the future, after all.]]
29	* DaChief: The Commissioner.
30	* DamselInDistress: When Molly is taking a bath at her apartment, she's suddenly surprised by Spinner and Kane's henchmen, who quickly kidnap her. Later on, it is eventually revealed they took her to the New Eden industries where [[spoiler:she was put in cryogenic stasis]].
31	* DinosaursAreDragons: When the Toymaker sees Teddy, he mockingly calls him a dragon.
32	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Teddy describes himself as a "recovering carnivore", which is reminiscent of how a human might be called a "recovering alcoholic".
33	* EveryCarIsAPinto
34	* FantasticRacism: Humans don't like the anthropomorphic animals. Just because [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman they aren't human]], we guess; it's never really explored in the movie.
35	* FlatCharacter: Molly Rex is meant to be Teddy's LoveInterest, but she barely gets any characterization beyond working as a singer at a local bar, being a NiceGirl, enjoying [[TrademarkFavoriteFood cookies]] as much as Teddy does and being a DamselInDistress.
36	* {{Gasshole}}: Theodore Rex did not just [[BlatantLies butt trumpet]].
37	* GratuitousNinja: Apparently there's a "Ninja Grid" in addition to the "Dinosaur Grid."
38	* HarmlessFreezing: Kane's cryogenic technologies can keep living beings frozen in suspended animation without any apparent ill effects.
39	* IHaveYourWife: In order to bring Teddy and Coltrane to him, Kane has Spinner kidnap two individuals they value the most: a lover (Molly Rex) and a child (Sebastian), respectively.
40	* HumanPopsicle: Kane's technologies specialize in this. [[spoiler: Specifically, he has frozen a couple of every single known animal species on Earth which he plans to reawaken after the New Eden missile destroys the world so he can repopulate the planet with them]]. [[spoiler: It is also how Teddy defeats Dr. Shade. When she holds him at gunpoint near the cryogenic chamber designated for him telling him to get inside, Teddy tricks her into opening the door of the chamber for him, which she does, at which point Teddy quickly hits her with his tail and rapidly closes the door, just as the freezing process begins and imprisons Shade inside.]] [[spoiler:Teddy also discovers that Kane and his henchmen successfully did this to Molly when she was kidnapped, much to his despair, but after he unknowingly causes the cryo-chamber's door to malfunction with his tail, Molly is thawed out and she is free to reunite with Theo.]]
41	* InsultBackfire: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]
42	-->'''Katie Coltrane:''' Are you The Toymaker?\
43	'''The Toymaker:''' I've been called many things.
44	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Coltrane can be a little rough around the edges, not to mention she shows quite a strong dislike toward [[NaiveNewcomer Teddy]] being assigned as her partner for the case. However, she eventually grows genuinely fond of him and is happy to be his partner, not to mention she's a FriendToAllChildren and is a great buddy to a kiddo named Sebastian, who looks up to her as well. When Kane orders Spinner to [[spoiler:kidnap Sebastian to lure Katie to him]], Coltrane goes into full MamaBear mode.
45	* KillerRabbit: The small butterfly which killed Oliver Rex at the beginning by flying up to his nose and abruptly exploding is revealed to be part of a line of miniature killbots designed to look like lepidopterans created by The Toymaker [[spoiler:on Kane's orders]].
46	* LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy: The anthro dinos and prehistoric creatures in this setting are apparently the result of Kane and his scientists resurrecting many extinct species from the past and genetically modifying them to [[UpliftedAnimal give them human-like sapience and speech]]... for reasons that are never fully explained. The cherry on top of the weirdness cake is that they're also telepathic and psychic as well, but this isn't really touched upon in great detail.
47	* LoveInterest: Molly Rex, a female ''Tyrannosaurus'' singer is this for Theodore. She doesn't get many scenes, though.
48	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: This bears repeating: ''psychic talking dinosaur cops in the future''.
49	* NobleBigot: Coltrane [[CharacterDevelopment at the beginning]] is sent to investigate the murder of an anthro ''Tyrannosaurus'', yet she isn't particularly enthusiastic about being paired up with Teddy to solve the case because "he's a dinosaur!" in her own words. However, the more time she spends with him and gets to know him better, her prejudices eventually fade out and she becomes genuine friends with the guy.
50	* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Kane, the BigBad. He wants to create a new Ice Age to destroy the world and essentially start civilization over from there. However, he's actually motivated by his delusions of godhood. The fact that he judges humans as imperfect also suggests an hint of misanthropy.
51	* OpeningScroll: The film starts with a black screen and white text telling the movie's premise read by a narrator. One can't help but wonder if the crew realized just how utterly messed-up things were in the story.
52	* PeopleInRubberSuits: Half the cast really. Theo himself is designed just a hair better than ''Film/HowardTheDuck''.
53	* PlotTwist: [[spoiler: Katie is a cyborg.]]
54	* PsychicPowers: The genetically modified prehistoric animals have these, but their powers aren't touched on that much.
55	* RandomEventsPlot: It starts with a pretty butterfly exploding in an anthro's face and just gets stranger.
56	* RunningGag: Theodore's swinging tail that knocks things over and his love for cookies. The swinging tail gag is more annoying than funny. And the running gag for cookies literally resorts to the shouting of the word, [[SarcasmMode which is a shame.]]
57	* StarringSpecialEffects
58	* TookALevelInBadass: After Katie [[spoiler:gets injured by Kane and her cyborg mechanisms fail]], Theo is forced to stop Kane's plan all by himself, which [[spoiler:he successfully does]].
59	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Theo's love for cookies. He even own an unique dispenser which shoots a cookie at him every morning before he leaves his house, and all he has to do is shout "Cookie!" at it. His LoveInterest, Molly Rex, seemingly shares his taste in food.
60	* UpliftedAnimal: All of the resurrected dinosaurs and prehistoric animals have been given human-like sapience and speech by Kane's experiments. Oh, and they're telepathic and psychic for some reason too.
61	* VegetarianCarnivore: Theodore Rex is a "recovering" carnivore that eats mostly cookies. Apparently, "I can't believe it's not meat" hasn't been invented yet.
62	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: After Spinner kidnaps Sebastian and Molly and brings Teddy and Coltrane to him, Kane [[spoiler: decides he has no more use for the guy and orders Dr. Shade to finish Spinner off with her gun]].

Context Film / TheodoreRex