There are two ways you can interpret what I said. One, I can't think of anyone more suitable to play Gulliver in this movie other than Black himself. I remembered him fondly in 'School of Rock'-he played the teacher, and with his own definition of humour, he delivers this movie well. Second, the movie highlights Gulliver and without his character, obviously, there won't be a movie.
Although there are sub characters carrying minor issues and elements to the movie, it goes back to Gulliver again as he is the root of chaining events. There is a slight twist to the classic story of Gulliver, where in this, his journey to the island of Liliput begins in the mysterious Bermuda triangle at an attempt to win Darcy Silverman's (Amanda Peet) heart on the given assignment. Horatio (Jason Segel, and 'How I Met Your Mother' comes to mind) plays his Liliputian friend when he first arrived on the island of Liliput. Segel's performance in this movie is good, shwoing variety and development. Although boyfriend General Edward (Chris O'Dowd) sees otherwise, Princess Mary (Emily Blunt) likes the presence of Gulliver, what more when he rescued her from being kidnapped. Frankly, Emily didn't work her magic on me this time. Her character seems dull watching her playing princess; I prefer her to play more high-drama, thriller-action roles.
Horatio is in love with Mary but due to their status difference that pulled them apart, Horatio seeks for advice and consults Gulliver. What he doesn't know is that Gulliver's love life isn't that smooth sailing and so following his advices blindly led him to adverse results. The Liliputians also look to him as their idol after his brave act to save the princess and their kingdom, but in the real world, Gulliver is just as timid as a tortoise which eventually backfired. These events display another key meaning to the movie, that what Gulliver was is not the same as what he is. And his lies later force him to be thrown away from the island. After realizing his mistakes, he returns to help the people in Liliput. He now vows to win the love of his life, Darcy, for real.
Talking about big and small, which this movie tags about, it does have some good moments and some bad moments. Some parts were funny and entertaining, and some went 'eeew...' followed by laughters such as when Gulliver falls onto one of the Liliputian, showing part of his back, or when he urinates on the burning palace to rescue the princess, or when the canons fired to his belly got bounced back due to the fat in his tummy!
Promoting peace not war, in short, Gulliver's Travels isn't that entirely bad if you lower your expectations. Have your heart set to laugh, sit back and promise yourself to enjoy what Gulliver's Travels has to show. Not bad for a family movie night out too. Otherwise, this might not be your pick for the weekend.
My rating: 5.5 / 10.
You'll like this if you like: Jack Black, Night At The Museum (I and II), Gulliver's Travels, Toy Story 1.
Genre: Adventure, fantasy, comedy.
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