'The One and Only Ivan': Angelina Jolie's film gets mixed reviews

The much-anticipated movie 'The One and Only Ivan' - which is based on KA Applegate's novel of the same name - has received mixed reviews ahead of its release.

Angelina Jolie's new film – which is set to land on Disney+ on Friday (August 21) – centres on a gorilla named Ivan, who teams up with an ageing elephant called Stella to remember their pasts and escape captivity.

'The Maleficent' actress lends her voice to Stella, while Sam Rockwell brings Ivan to life. Danny DeVito and The Florida Project's Brooklynn Prince portray Bob the stray dog and baby elephant Ruby respectively.

The Guardian's Benjamin Lee argues that the movie is only "vaguely watchable" in his write-up, awarding it two stars out of a possible five.

According to him, the film seems like it's been "thrown together by people who should know how to make something far sweeter and substantial"

He labels it "a fleeting attraction for undiscerning young kids and a whelming waste for anyone older".

Indiewire's Kate Erbland writes: "It builds to a conclusion that, like the best parts of this film, combines movie-magic whimsy with hard-won realism, slipping some very grown-up ideas (and ideals) into a classic talking-animal charmer."

Entertainment Weekly's Maureen Lee Lenker somewhat fondly describes it as an "uneven film with a gorilla-sized heart", while The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey suggests the outing "finds nuance in CGI animals".