GULLIVER’S TRAVELS 3-D (CINEMA)

Release Date: December 26th 2010
Certificate: PG
Running Time: 87 minutes

Director: Rob Letterman

Cast: Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Jack Black, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Catherine Tate, James Corden

Jonathan Swift’s 1726’s novel Gulliver’s Travels gets the remix treatment this Christmas with Jack Black starring as a mailroom worker who goes off on a very big adventure!

In a bid to impress the girl of his dreams (Amanda Peet), Gulliver pretends to be an experienced travel writer rather than just ask her out. This results in her giving him an assignment to the Bermuda Triangle. Lost out at sea with no sailing experience and a storm brewing, the last thing he remembers is being sucked down a whirlpool before he opens his eyes to find himself in the land of Lilliput.

Gulliver wakes to find that the tiny islanders had captured him and plan to enslave him, believing him to a beast due to his size. When he manages to save Lilliput from an attack by its rival Blefuscu, save the King by peeing on him to put out a fire and rescue the Princess from being kidnapped, he is hailed as a hero.

After starting off very much like The Secret of My Success (1987), the movie eventually finds its way as soon as Gulliver becomes lost in Lilliput, although it might not be as far as it seems. Mostly shot on location in Greenwich, London in June 2009, with buildings such as the Old Royal Naval College used as the King and Queen’s palace, it has a very British feel which is of course great when you have a cast which includes Emily Blunt, Billy Connolly, Catherine Tate and James Corden who all have very funny roles.

Despite being based on Swift’s novel, Gulliver’s Travels (the film) is not so much a satire on human nature, or a parody of travel stories. Instead, it’s more about “manning up” and asking the girl of your dreams out. It’s also a shameless calling card for 20th Century Fox’s biggest hits! Gulliver uses movies like Avatar (2009), X-Men Origins (2009), Titanic (1997) and Star Wars (1977) to fabricate stories of courage, triumph and grandeur to win over the people of Lilliput. At one point he has them putting on a theatre production to show how he saved Rose before going down with the Titanic. Later on he explains how he was brought back as an Avatar!

When they cotton on to his deceit, it’s a case of how far the mighty have fallen and Gulliver has to finally take some of the advice he’s been handing out to his friend Horatio (Jason Segal) instead of literally crying about it like a big baby!

It’s silly fun for the family if you’re out and about on Boxing Day and looking for a little adventure.