Gulliver's Travels

I know I over use the phrase “It does what it says on the tin” when reviewing some films, but if there was ever a case of picking a film as an example to use for that expression then Gulliver’s Travels is it. It’s in 3D, it has Jack Black as Gulliver and it’s extremely silly. If that’s what you want, it’s what you get, albeit, unsurprisingly the 3D is naff. You’ll also be unsurprised to hear that this is only loosely based on Jonathan Swift’s novel. In terms of this version Gulliver (a mail room worker at a New York newspaper), by means of subterfuge, finds himself sent to Bermuda to report on the Triangle. It’s not long though before his ship is swept up in a huge wave and he finds himself in the land of Lilliput towering over the miniature locals. The storyline then pretty much switches between Gulliver being hailed a hero or being feared whilst playing alongside a three way romantic yarn between Emily Blunt, Jason Segel and Chris O’Dowd. Black does his usual performance of being, well, Jack Black, and that might be fine for some but it’s becoming tiresome of the rest of us. It’s actually O’Dowd who steals the movie from Black hilariously hamming it up with an exaggerated English accent and stiff upper lipness. The film misses his presence when he is off screen. Obviously this is a film heavy in special effects and they didn’t look too bad to me despite some derogatory comments in other reviews. Though English viewers may be somewhat put off by Blenheim Palace doubling up as “Lilliput Palace”. The film also loses marks for the pointless upgrade to 3D. Luckily the films short running time means it’s all over before you can start to make too many complaints. It would be interesting to see how much stuff director Rob Letterman left on the editing floor. It appears that the best audience age for this film is actually a lot lower than what it has been marketed for. I think most young kids will enjoy this, so if you’re not in that category (or in that mindset when seeing the film) you may want to knock a mark off the below rating.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Does what it says on the tin (sorry). Rating: 6/10