Locky's English Playground: 30 Dec 2010

Thursday, 30 December 2010

Movie: Jack Black's Gulliver's Travels

**I hope you all have had a great Christmas! And many thanks to Celia for your candies, Christmas card and message!**

I have always been a movie fan of Jack Black, guess some of you can recall that. And yes, I am recommending this movie mainly because of him. He is chubby, but he is hilariously talented. If it wasn't him, I doubt that anyone can make a comedy out of this classic fantasy novel.

Image from wikimedia

Written by Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift in 1726, Gulliver's Travels comes in 4 parts,

Image from innerwildtherapy

Part I: A Voyage to Lilliput
Part II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag
Part III: A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan
Part IV: A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms

Image from sandboxworld

Jack Black's Gulliver's Travels mainly covers the first 2 parts, which he met the citizens of Lilliput and the giants daughter of Brobdingnag (this was unmentioned in the movie).

What's cool about this movie is not only the special effects of merging big people and small people, but also the creativity of merging modern technology such as robots and handhelds, modern spoken English and modern humour into a story that was written 284 years ago. I have to say I really really like this concept, especially at a time when all our children are no longer involved in childhood tales and literature, this movie definitely revives youngsters interest in the original story.

Comparing the special effects of merging miniature people with big people into the same scene, I have to say Ben Stiller's Night at the Museum 1 & 2 did a much better job than this one. Frankly speaking, I was surprised to find that being a good friend of Ben Stiller, Jack Black didn't ask the help from the Night at the Museum production teams. Although Black has on his side director Rob Letterman's experience from Shark Tale (2004) and Monsters VS Aliens (2009), writers Joe Stillman's experience from Shrek (2001) and Shrek 2 (2004), and Nicholas Stroller's experience from comedian king Jim Carrey's Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) and Yes Man (2008), the only person who has worked in Night at the Museum 1 & 2 is associate film editor Dean Zimmerman. Well, I think Black will need more help if he were to make a sequel.

Image from filmofilia

This movie has not been rated highly worldwide, but I suggest you go and watch it. And when you do, bear in mind that this is Christmas and New Year, and you should remind yourself that you want to watch something happy and yet intelligent, funny but not stupid. Jack Black's Gulliver's Travels is not a film anyone should use logic to judge, because it is a children's story, a fantasy novel. Don't try to make sense out of it, because it won't. The movie is there for relaxation and laughs, so just expect to have fun!

I have included a trailer here, but I suggest you not to watch it until you have seen the movie, because it will definitely spoil the surprises in the movie.