Writer: Lorraine DCosta

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Watch this if you liked: “School of Rock”, “Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny”, “Tropic Thunder”

"Gulliver's Travels" is yet another children's movie done right. It has the right recipe for success, a classic children's tale, funny man Jack Black playing the lead and of course the holiday season of Christmas. The film has a dull beginning with us being introduced to Lemuel Gulliver (Black) a Star Wars loving geeky kind of guy wasting his life in the mail room of a notable newspaper in Manhattan and who is in love with Travel Editor Darcy (Amanda Peet), but rather than confronting her with his feelings, he finds himself with a writing assignment that takes him to Bermuda.

Bermuda, thank goodness is where all the fun begins. On his way out to sea Gulliver encounters a fierce storm that transports him to another dimension in a different period of time to a land that is inhabited by tiny people living under a 17th - 18th century English monarchy. From this part of the story Rob Letterman's "Gulliver's Travels" takes a totally different turn from the original. After rescuing the Princess Mary of Lilliput (Emily Blunt) from enemy invasion, the once insignificant Gulliver is being treated like a God by all Lilliputians. A giant among his peers, Black soon finds that with size comes enormous responsibility and a great deal of fun, as he sets about taking credit for famous inventions and works of art. However, after getting on the wrong side of General Edward Edwardian (Chris O'Dowd) Gulliver must defend Lilliput from the advances of the opposing Blefuscian army.

Black's inevitable toilet humour has been flushed out early on in the movie allowing for a more genuine sense of humour as the movie progresses. If not poking fun at the tiny size of the Lilliputians and ye' olde English, the screenplay is filled in with a lot of pop-culture references which work their way into the story. Though it may not be consistently funny, it is consistently entertaining.


The most surprising scene in the movie was where Black towards the end starts rendering his version of "War" a popular song by British 70's band "The Jam" and the whole cast breaks into a musical. The scene does not look out of place but actually enhances the story and entertains the audience. Black's full-throttle bodily chaos and his style of Rock n Roll dancing brought added entertainment to the song.


Black is able to bring every scene to life, whether it's urinating on his co-stars or taking a belly-full of cannonballs. The special effects, including a Victorian-style robot and flamboyant locations such as Blenheim Palace bring a great deal of colour to the story. The trailers for "Gulliver's Travels" gave thought that it was just another movie aimed at making us part with our last bit of Christmas money. But surprisingly it is one of those rare moments where the best was not shown in the trailers.

"Gulliver's Travels" is pure entertainment by itself. A movie that kids should not miss this holiday season.

Cinema Online, 20 December 2010