Gulliver's Travels

Cute Movie, But Nothing New from Jack Black

Jack Black has yet to make an unentertaining movie, but he'll need better writing next time if he wants people to keep taking him seriously. The works of Jonathan Swift just don't seem to have been written to be performed by someone like him. The story is more or less the same, Black playing the title character Gulliver, a lonely mail room clerk who talks big but knows his life isn't going anywhere. When he scores a travel writing job taking him to the Bermuda triangle, he doesn't plan on being sucked through a giant whrilpool into Liliput, a world of tiny people. They people are frightened and take to calling him "The Beast" but when he saves the king's palace from a fire by peeing on it, things start to look up. Jason Seegle costars as his pint sized wing man Horracio. This is a good family movie, and even features Jack Black singing "War, What is it Good For?" with a chorus of tiny people providing backup. Don't go looking for any moral substance, but if you and/or your kids are just looking for a good time, Gulliver's travels isn't a bad choice at all. It's bound to please children who enjoyed the book and even one's who didn't.

3 Stars