<br /><br />The Flintstones with real actors - hey, that sounds cool. Great special effects, good casting(John is SO much like Fred), and Steven Spielberg - how could it go wrong? Well, somehow, it did. Probably because of the script, this movie that starts off nicely, soon turns into a bore for grown ups and hardly a blast for the kids. The story is dull, and all the cliches are there - nagging mother-in-law, sexy secretary, rich ppl becoming arrogant, you name it! The question is, why did they bring these "grown up" elements into the movie? This is marketed as a kiddies' film, and I doubt they understand the story very much; for grown ups, it's simply boring to see the old cliches used once again, just in a funny setting. There are few truly funny moments, and though the actors do their best, they can't save the movie from being dull, silly, and in parts very sappy. It's a disgrace, as the original cartoon was funny, cool, and the family scenes were simply endearing.<br /><br />One of the things I liked was Rosie O'Donnell doing Betty's role. In the original cartoon, Betty is as slender as Wilma. It was nice to see a big girl cast in a positive role, her weight never being an issue. And Rosie does it so great - listen to her laugh. Go Rosie!<br /><br />All in all, I give this movie a 3 out of 10. That's for the special effects and casting. Too bad they didn't bother to write an actual storyline.