Laikals
The greatest movie ever made..!
Billie Morin
This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
Roy Hart
If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Lidia Draper
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
grantss
A reasonably interesting adaptation of the classic novel. Has the same basic plot as the novel but changes some of the characters' personalities, to varying degrees. Also grittier than the novel.Nice scenery, good action scenes, a decent degree of intrigue.On the negative side, there is a ho-humness to the proceedings. It is not overly engaging, and it sometimes does feel like it is going through the motions. The movie/series never really grabs you and drags you along with it.Performances are so-so. Eddie Izzard is fairly good as Long John Silver. Nobody else really stands out. Donald Sutherland has very little screen time.
eelchuk7
As someone who read and loved the book I was extremely excited to see this movie. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed after I saw it. So many meaningless plot changes corrupted this version from start to finish. In fact, it barely resembles the Robert Louis Stevenson classic novel (he probably rolled over in his grave). I would like the writers to explain to me why they decided to make all the changes, as they seem to serve no purpose other than to upset those who have read the book.The filmmakers decided to make Dr Livesay a snivelling wimp, and Squire Trelawney a massive jerk. The director also chose for some reason to use some sort of speed up technique that does nothing more than send you into a seizure. Eddie Izzard does a good job with Long John Silver, but that only scratches at the surface for redeeming this steaming pile. I guess we'll have to wait another twenty years or so for another version to come out, and hopefully that one might do the book justice.
petewhitaker
Robert Louis Stevenson's classic gets another dramatic outing in this 2012 production starring comedian Eddie Izzard in the role of Long John Silver. The screenplay was written by Stewart Harcourt who made some unsubtle and to my mind unnecessary changes to the story. His altered representations of two of the major characters, Squire Trelawney and Dr Livesey, make little sense and add no extra dramatic value. Director Steve Barron works for a rather realistic representation of the story with a mixed race crew of pirates posing as honest seamen on board the Hispaniola. This helps to steer a course away from unnecessary comparisons to 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Izzards John Silver lacks the matey easiness of Robert Newton's classic 1950 characterisation, as well as the colour and roguishness. He is believable however, and at times gives a very good performance but I never found him as threatening as Newton's Silver. Philip Glenister was excellent throughout as Capt. Smollett, the professional sailor who begins the voyage with grave misgivings but remains steadfast during all of their adventures. Perhaps the only instance of miscasting was that of Elijah Wood as Ben Gunn, not only too young but again re-written for no real advantage. Wood himself gives it a good go, there's no faulting his performance, it is just that there is again no reason behind the changes to the character. This could have been an excellent version of Treasure Island, certainly the production values are high and the cast are for the most part enjoyable but the curious move away from Stevenson's original characterizations, the change to some of their motivation, and the totally unnecessary emphasis on a 21st Century reaction to materialism, mars this version. If you have never read the novel then this might pass as an entertaining adventure film but Stewart Harcourt's adaptation looses too much of the original and criticises social conventions in such a way as to suggest a lack of historical integrity or even understanding. Fun but not a patch of the 1950 classic.
laurelp1952
Lots of surprises, don't think for one minute you know the outcome of any scene! Beautiful scenery, terrific acting by all. Lots of action and suspense. Even though at times the storyline lags a little it continues to pick up speed. I like great endings and this has a great ending! The scenery is beautiful. Review requires ten lines but no spoilers. The long John Silver actor surprised me. At first I thought he was Bruce Willis, but he's not. He looks very different in real life. It's not a movie for preteens. There are no cute puppies in the movie. You don't even have to keep reading while I complete the required ten lines. Why bother? Because I like the movie so much I wanted to make sure it got a well deserved good review.