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Sylvanhawke
Reviews
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)
An exercise in agonizing boredom.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull has been one of my favorite books since I was very young. I have truly relished the imagery and spiritual message presented by this stunningly magical story, and looked eagerly forward to experiencing Jonathan's adventure on the big screen. This film was an atrocity. Rather than being a dedicated retelling of one of the most inspirational books ever written this ghastly farce presents itself as an embarrassing showcase for a dolorous soundtrack. I can see this film as having great appeal to hardcore Neil Diamond fans, especially those who appreciate his more pensive and solemn works, however, it completely misses the mark of painting the spirit of Richard Bach's brilliant masterpiece. Despite some stunning visuals this film has little merit. Absolutely horrific.
Son of the Mask (2005)
A tolerable movie plagued by it's divergence from the original.
I believe that the biggest problem facing this movie is that it seems to have attempted, in every way, to divorce itself from it's predecessor.
Intentional or not, the target audience has obviously shifted. My children are young enough that I would not consider allowing them to watch "The mask," nor would I expect them to enjoy it. This incarnation, however, has been toned down significantly and I have few qualms about allowing them to watch this film, other than the few instances of potty humor. My kids loved this. It was madcap and cartoonish.
I, on the other hand, would not watch it again. For the adult audience, the sets are garish, the acting is amateurish, the plot is a cute idea but never fully fleshed out, the mythological references are shallow, the character development is weak and inconsistent and the characters are difficult to care about.
To give an idea of this film, if you were to blend "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," and the "It's a good life" segment of "Twilight Zone: the movie," and throw in a pinch of writing styles from any of the nickelodeon sitcom line-up, you'd get a reasonable notion of this film.
This is one to let your young kids watch if you don't mind that it has absolutely no beneficial qualities other than it's pre-juvenile entertainment value and does resort to the occasional booger-level slapstick. If you want your kids to get something useful, educational, or spiritually strengthening out of their medium, look somewhere else.
Quite simply put, if you're old enough to remember "The Mask" fondly and want more of that which it had to offer... THIS IS NOT IT. This is a movie with NO ENTERTAINMENT VALUE for ANYONE but young children and parents who enjoy watching shallow mindless children's' movies with their kids, like me. It does not offer the depth of ANYTHING that could be considered classic and I anticipate that it be forgotten very quickly.
Overall, It's not a BAD BAD movie... It's just not a GOOD movie. My kid's had a good time.
***Spoiler*** Steven Wright is in this film and doesn't have even one single funny thing to say. This is just wrong.
Earthsea (2004)
Entertaining, but...
In brief, this adaptation is an attempt to blend the stories of the first two of the four books of Earthsea. Rather than running sequentially, the two story lines are intermingled so as to run concurrently. The story of the first book, A Wizard of Earthsea, is relatively preserved with the exception of the location of the final confrontation, however, the script painfully lacks the depth and artistry of the book. The story of the second book, The Tombs of Atuan, are bent and twisted beyond recognition and bear little resemblance to the original. The acting is sufficient for a made-for-television event, and is certainly diverting for those who do not insist upon a more honest tribute to these fantastic books. If you enjoyed the Hercules and Xena series, then you may enjoy Earthsea. If you are a devoted fan to the books and prone to take offense at cinematic liberties taken at the expense of depth and solid representation, prepare for a possible disappointment.