Hollywood adapting classic stories is nothing new, and in a time when name recognition goes a long way in attracting a crowd to the theater, it’s no surprise studios are bringing more and more tales to the big screen (and in 3D, no less).
The latest project to transition from page to screen is “Gulliver’s Travels,” albeit a more modern retelling. Jack Black stars as Lemuel Gulliver, who works in the mail room at a magazine. To impress the editor, he plagiarizes a writing sample and winds up with an assignment about the Bermuda Triangle.
But along the way, his boat is thrown off course to the land of Lilliput, where the inhabitants are a tiny fraction of the average human’s size. He meets a host of characters, including a princess (Emily Blunt) and her suitor (Jason Segel). Gulliver impresses them with a string of lies about his notoriety back home, and for the first time in his life gets the chance to shine.
I’ve always found Black to be funny and charming, but the footage of this film that has been released so far doesn’t impress me. It could be a fun family flick for the holidays, or its box office could fizzle to Lilliputian proportions.
Also starring Amanda Peet, “Gulliver’s Travels” opens Christmas Day. Check out seven clips from the movie below.
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