The Film
The Jonathan Swift classic Gulliver's Travels has seen its share of incarnations over the years. However, this modern-day retelling goes mostly for cheap laughs in many cases highlighting Jack Black's butt crack. Still interested?
Black plays Lemuel Gulliver, a magazine mailroom employee with dreams of moving ahead. Well, not really. He just dreams of dating travel editor Darcy (Amanda Peet). Instead of asking her out, he accepts her writing assignment, and heads out in search of a man who purportedly knows the secret of the Bermuda Triangle. Soon after, he's sucked into a massive storm, only to wake up on the island of Lilliput, where is he's literally the biggest thing in town.
While many of you are probably familiar with the Swift tale, this version of Gulliver's Travels does take its share of liberties. The film mostly centers around pop culture puns and wedgies. Kids may enjoy Black's mugging and pantless antics. [editor's note: yeah, my kids got some big laughs out of these]. However, I suspect that few will enjoy the cringe-worthy final musical number featuring the Edwin Starr classic, "War." (Sing along: "Huh, good God, y'all. What is this dance number good for? Absolutely nothing, say it again.")
For the rest, the film's one bright spot is Chris O'Dowd, who makes baddie General Edward sort of fun to hate. To rise above the rest of the cast, which includes Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Billy Connolly and Catherine Tate, is not an easy feat. Unfortunately, in this specific film, it's not as impressive a feat. How a cast of this caliber was conned into this stinker really deserves its own featurette. If you must venture into these Travels, do so at your own risk.
Want to journey to the center of this movie? Check out Mark Grady's review of the theatrical release of Gulliver's Travels.
The Picture
Gulliver's Travels relies heavily on special effects, so it's not too surprising that there's a lot of technology behind the 2.35:1 transfer. This is one good looking image, with realistic fleshtones, bold colors and great detail throughout. Just check out that gorgeous red tint on Emily's Blunt's hair, the excellent definition on Jack Black's face, or even the scenery around Liliput. There is a little bit of noise here and there, but it shouldn't keep you from enjoying what is a very nice looking movie.
The Sound
As a nice match for the image, the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack works extremely well here. The film kicks off with some atmospheric sounds. However, as soon as the adventure begins, so does the real audio experience. The rush of a plane, giant waves, a water battle, and robot fights are just a few of the moments where the film manages to fill the entire soundfield. Also, considering the actual, physical distance between Jack Black and the people of Liliput, dialogue sounds great from all angles.
The Extras
Fox has packed in plenty of extras here for the short-attention span. There's a game and tons of featurettes covering special effects, the story, and the various actors in the movie. Then there are moments like "I Don't Know... with Lemuel Gulliver," which has Jack Black in character making faces, noises and very little sense in this pointless waste of 5 minutes. Also, the Gag Reel is a bit of false advertising, with only one scene that has Jack Black losing his pants while pushing a truck.
If you want to see more of Jack Black and Jason Segel -- but life-sized -- check out the BD-Live extra "Jack & Jason's Dance Class." It's nothing that will shoot milk out of your nose. Instead, it's more like a few behind-the-scenes interviews where the two goof around and talk up each other. The two never share screen time in the piece, but it's nice to see BD-Live being used for something title-specific, instead of just trailers for other films.
The absolute best extra on this disc has absolutely nothing to do with the actual movie. The film kicks off with the short, "Scrat's Continental Crack Up." This is the Ice Age spinoff with our twitchy little friend still seeking his beloved acorn.
Final Thoughts
Was this trip really necessary? More importantly, why was it so darn disappointing? Despite a dream cast, a stellar A/V package, and a decent collection of extras, Gulliver's Travels is far from a worthwhile journey.
Product Details
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