Gulliver's Travels Review (It's actually literature)

I just came back from the cinema watching Gulliver's Travels staring Jack Black. In this adaptation of Jonathan Swift's classic piece, Jack Black plays Limuel(or Lemuel?) Gulliver, a guy who works in a mailroom at a New York newspaper office. He has been working there for 10 years and has a huge crush on one of his colleagues, Darcy Silverman. One fine night, before he was about to punch out, he dropped by Darcy's office and wanted to ask her out on a date. But, when he finally got the nerves to ask her out, he suddenly backs out into an assignment making her think he's interested in becoming a travel writer. After he turns in a plagiarized writing sample, Darcy assigns Gulliver a feature story about the Bermuda Triangle, where he sails into a storm that lands him on the island kingdom of Lilliput (funny name).

And that’s when his rented 'ship', the “Knotferseil,” is sucked into a whirlpool and dropped, with Gulliver, in a land of English-accented Lilliputians(is that what you call them?), ruled by a king, queen, and a prissy princes(princess Mary) and an arrogant General Edward Edwardian, suitor to the princess.

There, he proves himself a hero, befriends Horatio; a commoner who's in love with Princess Mary, and proceeds to lie spectacularly about himself to the everyone, since, for once in his life, he's loved. But everything's in jeopardy when the princess' betrothed, General Edward starts to feel threatened and eventually betrays his kingdom.

Whether you'll enjoy this movie or not all boils down to how much you enjoy Jack Black's brand of humor. For those who consider him an irresistible jokester, this is a slightly better-than-average comedy with a bunch of pop culture references and that signature Jack Black comedy. Audiences who are not so into Black's charm may be less amused by this adaptation, but there are enough silly laughs, talented supporting actors, and broad sight gags (such as the fully made-up KISS band for the Guitar Hero) to make this a rather decent family pick.


**Joanna**