About : During the Great Depression, Jacob, a penniless and recently-orphaned veterinary school student, parlays his expertise with animals into a job with a second-rate traveling circus. He falls in love with Marlena, one of the show's star performers, but their romance is complicated by Marlena's husband, the charismatic but unbalanced circus boss.Review: I have heard of this movie a long time ago but I was not interested at all. I find circuses the most cruel places on earth, not only for the animals, but also for the people who work there. Everything about a circus is so sad. I only changed my mind when I saw that Reese Witherspoon was the lead actress and I decided to give it a chance.
The beginning of the movie was very interesting, who can resist a nice elderly gentleman reminiscing about the good old days? In Water for Elephants, that old man is Jacob, played by the Hal Holbrook. From the moment that he saw the picture of a beautiful woman on an elephant and tears begin to well up in his eyes, i knew I was in for a good story.
To begin with, Robert Pattinson is very different in this movie, he did not remind me at all of his role at the “Twilight ”, this movie might be a start for him as a male leading actor. I found him very interesting and passionate at his performance. The actor though that made the greatest impression on me was Christoph Waltz as August Rosenbluth, the man that runs the Benzini Brothers circus. His personality was the most complex, he had a very dark side that he tried hard not to reveal. On his train, he made the rules and broke the rules. All the characters are complex and have depth, even the supporting actors have interesting personal stories. Witherspoon is very talented and turns in a good performance as the wife of an abusive husband, who tries to forgive him every time he slips.
Pattinson and Witherspoon make a good couple, even with the age difference, but their most intimate scenes are not very passionate, they lack of chemistry. From the beginning of the movie we have a good idea where the plot is heading: Jacob will fall in love with the girl and she’ll fall in love with him, but they’ll both have to deal with the crazy husband and circus owner. Actually this is how the story goes but with more heart and character than you’d expect.
To sum up, Water for Elephants has a predictable plot, but Director Francis Lawrence refuses to paint the characters in two dimensions. The story is presented in a magic way and it is filled with very strong performances. I recommend this film with no hesitation, it will leave you with such a warm feeling.
The beginning of the movie was very interesting, who can resist a nice elderly gentleman reminiscing about the good old days? In Water for Elephants, that old man is Jacob, played by the Hal Holbrook. From the moment that he saw the picture of a beautiful woman on an elephant and tears begin to well up in his eyes, i knew I was in for a good story.
To begin with, Robert Pattinson is very different in this movie, he did not remind me at all of his role at the “Twilight ”, this movie might be a start for him as a male leading actor. I found him very interesting and passionate at his performance. The actor though that made the greatest impression on me was Christoph Waltz as August Rosenbluth, the man that runs the Benzini Brothers circus. His personality was the most complex, he had a very dark side that he tried hard not to reveal. On his train, he made the rules and broke the rules. All the characters are complex and have depth, even the supporting actors have interesting personal stories. Witherspoon is very talented and turns in a good performance as the wife of an abusive husband, who tries to forgive him every time he slips.
Pattinson and Witherspoon make a good couple, even with the age difference, but their most intimate scenes are not very passionate, they lack of chemistry. From the beginning of the movie we have a good idea where the plot is heading: Jacob will fall in love with the girl and she’ll fall in love with him, but they’ll both have to deal with the crazy husband and circus owner. Actually this is how the story goes but with more heart and character than you’d expect.
To sum up, Water for Elephants has a predictable plot, but Director Francis Lawrence refuses to paint the characters in two dimensions. The story is presented in a magic way and it is filled with very strong performances. I recommend this film with no hesitation, it will leave you with such a warm feeling.
Still haven't watch it. I suck :P
ReplyDeleteBut from the trailer reminds me of something like Big Fish and Titanic together XD
@yiota: many people said that, i don't remember the "Big Fish", but there is no comparison with the "Titanic", except the forbidden love-ex husband part...
ReplyDeleteit is a nice movie, you should watch it, i can't believe you haven't yet since you gave it to me XD
Athanasia: You should see Pattison in "Remember Me"(which was my first review ever), he's great there too....
ReplyDeletei am sorry "Remember Me" didn't work out for me :P
DeleteDitto what both athanasia-d and nina said.
ReplyDeleteKristan saw this movie and loved it. She said the filming/art direction is beautiful, and she felt transported. Just like in the book, only she got to SEE it, you know?
I loved the book so much that I am kind of afraid to watch the movie. I admit the main reason is Robert Pattison of whom I am not a fan of.
ReplyDelete@misha: i was worried about Robert Pattison too, i am not a fun, but in this movie he surprised me, he was actually really good...
ReplyDeletei understand that you liked the book so much and now you are afraid to watch the movie, but i suggest you give it a try!
I dont often make postings regarding purchases, but in this case i thought i would make an exception. this book was one of the best books ive read in a long time. not only did i feel as if i was learning something about circus life back in the day (i tend to like historical fiction), but i was also intrigued with the characters and found myself wondering how the story would end up.... and i was not disappointed!! this book tells a great story and keeps you intereseted until the very end.
ReplyDeletenow you made me interested in the book..i think i should give it a try too..thnx!
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