Gulliver's Travels

I was taken aback by "Gulliver's Travels." My expectations were for it to be a gormless, insipid and deeply unfunny waste of my precious time; a money-hungry tramp creepily begging for my spare change whenever I pass it by. Constant advertisements on television and in theatres did little to alter my prejudiced views on the new Jack Black flick, aside from possibly lowering them even more.

It looked idiotic, shameful and desperate to rake in some undeserved cash, my instincts taking over as I judged this film merely on its marketing. Silly, I know. Nonetheless, I am baffled to say from the bottom of my heart, from the depths of my chest-beater, through teeth as gritted as the roads in December: "Gulliver's Travels" is an okay movie.

It is, of course, based on the timeless novel of the same name by Anglo-Irishman Jonathan Swift. The book, published in 1726, has been given a modernisation in this film adaptation, starting off in present-day Manhattan as Lemuel Gulliver (the chubby-physiqued "School of Rock" star) wakes up in his apartment.

He's been working in a mail room (in which he plays Guitar Hero) for ten years and is suddenly hit with the realisation that he's not going anywhere in his life when a new recruit (T. J. Miller, "Cloverfield") almost immediately gets promoted and becomes his boss.

While attempting to ask out journalist Darcy (Amanda Peet, "2012") on a date, Gulliver instead ends up signing up for an assignment to investigate the Bermuda Triangle. He hops on a boat on his own, reads magazine Gamer Head while travelling through the ocean, and finds himself sucked up into a freak waterspout. I hate when that happens.

Upon waking up, he discovers that he has washed ashore on Lilliput, an island inhabited by teeny-tiny people. He's captured, taken to be viewed by King Theodore (Billy Connolly, "Fido") and Queen Isabelle (Catherine Tate, "Doctor Who"), and imprisoned in a cave, called a "beast" by the microscopic islanders. However, after Gulliver wees out a fire in the royal kingdom, the mini locals begin to warm to the supposed giant, his presence having much influence on Lilliput's posh and upper-class nation.

If one is going to watch "Gulliver's Travels," then one must remember that it is a family film. The sense of humour the film has is childish and silly -- but in a good way. You see, "Gulliver's Travels," more often than not, doesn't resort to vulgar crudeness to get a cheap laugh out of young, bug-eyed viewers -- except maybe a moment when a Lilliputian goes up where the sun don't shine.

Yes, Gulliver may sing Kiss songs, he may urinate on a burning building (which is taken from the novel, I might add), but the film remains a sweet-natured tale that's still suitable for the older ones sitting in the audience. The gags, although inconsistent in their ability to make one laugh, should nourish the inner child living within dragged-to-the-cinema parents.

Black's back to his juvenile antics, taking on the role of Gulliver with much delightful energy. He makes for a lovable character who has fun with the opportunity to fool his limited-in-size companions, telling them he's "President the Awesome." Gulliver fibs of apparent life stories (including being Jack in "Titanic" and having defeated The Joker), becoming a hero and inspiration for the 6-inch folks.

However, one who doesn't see it this way is General Edward (Chris O'Dowd, "The IT Crowd"), a snooty party-pooper who stays sceptical of Gulliver's heroic stories. O'Dowd's a convincing antagonist, a man driven off the edge by the giant's arrival on his sacred land. He may be small, but he compensates for that with some giant-robot-building.

The supporting cast is all fine, if fading into the background. Much British talent has been put to decent use, including Emily Blunt ("The Devil Wears Prada") and James Corden ("Lesbian Vampire Killers") alongside Tate and Connolly. American Jason Segel ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") takes on an adequate English accent, and Peet is an ample love interest.

"Gulliver's Travels" has enough to deserve a recommendation for a night out at the movies. Kids and adults (more so the former) will giggle together at this lighthearted and pleasing family feature. Black's great, O'Dowd's allowed to stretch his legs as an actor, and the SFX are lovely. It's far from a classic, but does it really need to be one?

6/10