(Review originally written at 6 December 2006)
This is a pretty disjointed 'late' adventure movie, that offers little excitement or even joy.
If this is an adventure movie, then were is the fun and excitement of it all? The events presented in the movie really don't feel connected to each other. The movie has overall poor storytelling.
The approach of telling the entire story from the viewpoint of a child and his 'holy man' also doesn't work in this movie. He gets from the one event and 'adventure' in the other too rapidly but without much action or excitement. It makes the movie at times feel like a 3 hour drag, even though the movie is only 113 minutes short. Too much is happening, too many characters are introduced that are not given a prominent enough role in the movie. Perhaps with more prominent roles for adults and better character treatment, the movie would had been better, more fun and perhaps also more exciting.
Errol Flynn almost looked like a parody of his old self. He obviously gained weight, looked old in general and was drunk halve of the time as well, no doubt. Maybe if his character was written- and used more prominently in the movie, he would had been given opportunity to shine more, or at least make his character more interesting and likable in the movie. But real main character of the movie is a young Dean Stockwell as Kim(ball) O'Hara (So Errol Flynn fans beware!). He's really not bad, acting- or other wise but not quite good enough to carry the entire movie in his own. The movie makes the same mistakes as Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun".
For most part the movie really looks like it was shot on the back-lot of a sound-stage. Some sets are cheap but above all too fake looking with too often also too fake looking backgrounds. Later on in the movie the movie begins featuring some real and nice looking locations but it's too little and too late to save the movie its entire visual style and atmosphere. The costumes and make-up effects are also quite poor looking for most of the time.
It all in all made this movie a rather disappointing one. One would expect some more flair, excitement and better character treatment from an adventure movie staring Errol Flynn in it, even when it's a late one.
If you want to see a good old fashioned adventure movie, pick a late '30's or early '40's one instead.
5/10
Watch trailer
This is a pretty disjointed 'late' adventure movie, that offers little excitement or even joy.
If this is an adventure movie, then were is the fun and excitement of it all? The events presented in the movie really don't feel connected to each other. The movie has overall poor storytelling.
The approach of telling the entire story from the viewpoint of a child and his 'holy man' also doesn't work in this movie. He gets from the one event and 'adventure' in the other too rapidly but without much action or excitement. It makes the movie at times feel like a 3 hour drag, even though the movie is only 113 minutes short. Too much is happening, too many characters are introduced that are not given a prominent enough role in the movie. Perhaps with more prominent roles for adults and better character treatment, the movie would had been better, more fun and perhaps also more exciting.
Errol Flynn almost looked like a parody of his old self. He obviously gained weight, looked old in general and was drunk halve of the time as well, no doubt. Maybe if his character was written- and used more prominently in the movie, he would had been given opportunity to shine more, or at least make his character more interesting and likable in the movie. But real main character of the movie is a young Dean Stockwell as Kim(ball) O'Hara (So Errol Flynn fans beware!). He's really not bad, acting- or other wise but not quite good enough to carry the entire movie in his own. The movie makes the same mistakes as Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun".
For most part the movie really looks like it was shot on the back-lot of a sound-stage. Some sets are cheap but above all too fake looking with too often also too fake looking backgrounds. Later on in the movie the movie begins featuring some real and nice looking locations but it's too little and too late to save the movie its entire visual style and atmosphere. The costumes and make-up effects are also quite poor looking for most of the time.
It all in all made this movie a rather disappointing one. One would expect some more flair, excitement and better character treatment from an adventure movie staring Errol Flynn in it, even when it's a late one.
If you want to see a good old fashioned adventure movie, pick a late '30's or early '40's one instead.
5/10
Watch trailer
No comments: