ad4m22Gulliver’s Travels Review
Bumbling oaf Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) works in the mailroom of a major newspaper, with delusions that he’s somehow greater than his surroundings. When an attempt to ask out his crush Darcy (Amanda Peet) backfires, Gulliver ends up taking a boat out to the Bermuda Triangle, where he falls into a whirlpool and wakes up in Liliput, where everyone else is tiny.
The best thing anybody could say about this film is that it’s better than expected. It’s hardly terrible, but you’ll rarely find anything that makes you glad you bothered with it. Jack Black doesn’t act any different than any character he’s ever player, while the rest of the cast appear to be doing it for the money. Nobody really jumps out from the cast – a real shame, considering that the talents of Billy Connolly and Emily Blunt are on offer here. When the villain gets a bigger reaction from the audience than the hero, that’s usually a bad sign.
The CGI is impressive throughout and rarely looks silly – considering how stupid it could have looked, the results are pleasing. A real shame, then, that the 3D has been lazily thrown on the film in a style similar to Clash of the Titans. Not worth the extra couple of quid to have Jack Black lunging at your face.
It’s a strange film, this one, especially when you try and figure out who it’s actually for. What is the target audience for this film? Kids probably won’t get it because they’ve never heard of the book, while adults won’t want to watch Jack Black dance all over their fond memories. A tough one to recommend to anybody.
2 stars
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