-
Recent releases:
- Mothers' Instinct
- Sweet East, The
- Ghost Busters: Frozen Empire
- Immaculate
- Roaring Twenties, The (reissue)
- Soul
- Dune: part two
- American Star
- Dune: Part 1 (reissue)
- Jerry & Marge Go Large
- Argylle
- Forever Young
- Jackdaw
- All of Us Strangers
- Holdovers, The
- Mean Girls
- Poor Things
- One Life
- Ferrari
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Gulliver's Travels (3D)
Stars: Jack Black, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Chris O'Dowd, T J Miller, James Corden, Catherine Tate, Emmanuel Quatra
Director: Rob Letterman
Its important to realise that this latest take on Gulliver isnt a Jonathan Swift film its a Jack Black movie (hes credited as a producer) and so what we get is a youngster-friendly as George and Felix can attest comedy inspired by Swift and then efficiently tailored as a star vehicle by screenwriters Joe Stillman and Nicholas Stoller, who pitch Black into Lilliput among the little people and briefly into Brobdingnag but leave out Gullivers travels to Laputa and the Yahoos (maybe later - remember how much Hollywood loves sequels).
So what we get is New York newspaper mailroom clerk Black conning editor Peet whom he fancies into believing he is a writer and sending him on an assignment to the Bermuda Triangle. The Triangle lives up to its strange reputation and Black ends up in Lilliput where, once he is freed from his bonds, it doesnt take him too long to prove himself a giant among men, act as matchmaker to commoner Segel and princess Blunt, make an enemy of army leader ODowd and take on Lilliputs enemies before briefly ending up in Brobdingnag dressed as a female doll and being force-fed milk from a bottle by a gigantic little girl.
Its Blacks vehicle and he drives it vigorously if without much subtlety. Which is just fine for its target audience if theres one thing kids really enjoy its watching adults make idiots of themselves and Black (I may be a beast but I have feelings) doesnt disappoint. His boasting amuses: when the Star Wars fan (he plays with Star Wars dolls back in Manhattan) claims to be the US President he adds that in his absence Vice President Yoda can run things for me for a while. Comic touches include him urinating on a burning building to dowse a fire but before you complain to the censors its worth pointing out that that is actually from Swifts original.
Given their (literally) small roles (Peet apart), the other actors acquit themselves well enough. The special effects that reduce the crowds and then enlarge Blacks giant child bottle feeder are effective, as is the well-used 3D cinematography. Swiftian purists may purse their lips, but thats the movies for you.
Alan Frank
USA 2010. UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Colour by deluxe.
93 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: PG.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.
Review date: 23 Dec 2010