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Around the World in 80 Days (2004)

 
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 10:40 pm    Post subject: Around the World in 80 Days (2004) Reply with quote




It's a rare movie indeed that successfully blends action, adventure, imagination, and humor.

Happily, this one does that beautifully! Very Happy

Even more rare is a movie that succeeds at doing this and earning the adoration of the public . . . along with a big pile of money.

Sadly, this one did NOT do that. Sad

With a budget of $110 million, a stellar cast, and a director who had complete faith in his production, this movie should have hit a grand slam right into the upper deck!

Unfortunately it fouled off into left field and only grossed $75 million. The critics said nasty things like, "Hit-and-miss family fare that bears only the slightest resemblance to Verne's novel."

I've never read Verne's novel, but I suspect it's one of his lesser works, and the popular 1956 film version is a just one long, non-habit-forming sleep aid. Sad

Despite what the general public and the clueless critics thought of it, I'm plum nuts about this movie! The plot moves fast enough go around world in 120 minutes, with snazzy CGI segues to beautifully illustrate the various ports of call.












The numerous cameos include Rob Schneider, John Cleese, both Owen and Luke Wilson (as Orville and Wilbur Wright, a very clever touch), and Kathy Bates as the funniest Queen Victoria in the history of the British Empire!





Arnold Schwarzenegger yucks it up outrageously as a Turkish prince with a passion for harems. Laughing







Arnold takes a shine to the heroine, C??cile De France, but she declines his offer to make her his seventh wife.

"I have one for every day of da week! You can be my Tuesday!"

However, she and the professor develop a wonderful romance during the adventure, and their chemistry is truly delightful.








I'll bet I'm not the only person who thinks the "romance" between David Niven and Shirley MacLaine in the 1956 version had all the warmth and charm of day-old oatmeal. Rolling Eyes)

Jackie Chan is the loyal valet to Professor Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan). Jackie pretends to be French. (I know, it's silly, but Jackie explains it this way.)

"Father is French, but he never speaks. Mother is Chinese, but she never shuts up! All the children pick up her accent!"

Jackie lies to the professor because he has a hidden agenda which involves a subplot about a threat to his home village in China. He needs to get to it as fast as possible, and Fogg's wager with the distinguished English gentlemen means Jackie can make the journey in record time!

This new addition to the classic plot is what gives this energetic reimagining of the Verne novel the pizazz it needs to keep modern audiences awake interested.






I'm pleased to report that Jackie does all the stuff he's famous for, and he does it often enough to keep fans like me happy.

The villain of the piece is a Chinese warlord who's also a very exotic lady! (Yes, I know — Chinese women were totally subjugated back then, but at least she's not some boring Chinese peasant girl with no dialog!)

Sorry. An "in joke". I couldn't resist. Embarassed

The lady villain and her ninja-like minions provide plenty of martial arts action to keep Jackie and his friends busy.






This version of the story might not resemble Verne's novel, but I'd wager ??10 British sterling that Jules would love it, especially the greatly improved climax in which Fogg and his friends build an amazing airplane to make the last leg of the journey, launching it from an inclined ramp on a ship!











The soundtrack music by composers Trevor Jones and David A. Stewart is suitably heroic, accenting the film's moods just like a soundtrack is supposed to.

All in all, this is a very underrated film, and it saddens me to think that movie-goers often allow quality productions like this one to go unrewarded, while less enjoyable films sometimes make the less talented filmmakers filthy rich — for reasons which defy my understanding! Confused






Enjoy the trailer. You'll notice that the music it uses is actually the fine score from The Mummy Returns by Alan Silvestri. However, the music in this movie is somewhat similar to that in The Mummy Returns, even though yhey aren't by the same composers.

____ Around The World In 80 Days (2004) Trailer


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:17 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I stared this thread for a very enjoyable movie almost a year ago, complete with beautiful screen shots. If you liked the movie as much as I did, please share your positive comments.

If you didn't like it, tell us why.

If you haven't seen it, why not accept my recommendation and give it a shot?

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:18 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Krel.
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud, I have never seen this film, although I DO love the first version.

I have to say, that all of the non people screen shots you posted look like they came from a video game. All CGI. Not really enticing to me.

But if I do get a chance, I will watch it based on your recommendation.

David.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 9:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________

The original never appealed to me because it just seems like a travelogue with lots of cameos. This one has some very funny cameos, and the story is more interesting.

I hope you'll enjoy it. The movie has a great deal of style, energy, and imagination! I got it from Netflix, watched it, and sort-of liked it. But before sending it back I watched it again after a day or so and warmed up to it. A few months later I decided to buy it

Don't judge it too quickly. It will seem a bit silly at first, but once you've gotten a feel for the movie, I think you'll like it, especially if you're a Jackie Chan fan.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:19 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Robert (Butch) Day
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 4:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am certain that Mrs.Verne would love it! This version is actually closer in spirit to the 1870 novel than the 1956 movie.

Jules Verne (pronounced zjhool vairn) created the travelogue, and this movie is a perfect fit!

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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Robert (Butch) Day wrote:
Jules Verne (pronounced zjhool vairn)...

If I pronounce it like that, people won't know who the hell I'm talking about! Very Happy (Whom the hell...?)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 3:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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I think Butch means that you pronounce the name as zjhool vairn if your mouth is filled with marbles! Laughing

Under those conditions, my name would be pronounced Blub Blus-fur.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess I'm relatively safe, then. I rarely have marbles in my mouth. (Choking hazard, y'know.)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________________________

IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production. Very Happy
__________________________________________________

~ This marks the first time that Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson played brothers on-screen

Note from me: I like both the Wilson brothers. Oddly enough, their comedic acting styles are dramatically different. Very Happy

~ With a box-office loss of around $38 million worldwide, plus prints, advertising, and distribution, this movie is considered the biggest independently-released flop in movie history (it was made by an independent group under Disney).

Note from me: Well, there's no accounting for tastes, eh? I guess today's audiences are largely composed of young people who have very different preferences in movies than older (and wiser) people like me. Rolling Eyes

~ On Phileas Fogg's first machine, when he and Xing first meet, the speedometer is marked Slow/Medium/Fast/Very Fast/Damn-it.

Note from me: Who wouldn't love a movie with this sort of whimsical humor? Very Happy

~ Steve Coogan and Owen Wilson would also co-star in the Night at the Museum trilogy.

Note from me: The "Museum" trilogy had the same kind of humor as "80 Days"!

~ Director Frank Coraci's first choice for the role of Phileas Fogg was Johnny Depp, but studio executives at the time didn't think Depp in a family movie would work. After Jackie Chan was cast as Passepartout, the filmmakers settled on lesser known character actor Steve Coogan for Fogg.

Note from me: I suspect Depp would have made a mighty fine Phileas Fogg, and the movie might have done better at the box office.

~ Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson had previously starred together in Shanghai Noon (2000) and Shanghai Knights (2003).

Note from me: Ah, yes! There's two other very clever comedies I adore — and own the DVDs.

~ Owen Wilson's first Disney movie. He went on to appear in the Cars franchise.

Note from me: Owen's voice as "Lightnin' McQueen" is a big plus for the Cars franchise. (I have those DVDs, too.)

~ Paramount Pictures was originally going to release this movie in North America, but dropped it due to concerns about its commercial prospects, leading Disney to buy the domestic rights

Note from me: In view of the fact that the film was a financial disaster, Paramount was smart. And, sadly enough, Disney got another bitter lesson about how different the fickle movie-going public is today — compared to years ago when family friendly movies were popular with American audiences. Sad

~ An interesting note is that when the ship is redesigned to launch the aircraft, the launching path is curved upward. This is much like the design the Chinese use for their aircraft carriers, unlike the flat launching paths of American aircraft carriers. These curved areas are called "ramps" and aid the aircraft when launching into the air.

Note from me:Wait a minute . . . I'm confused! Confused

I've read that the curved ramp in When Worlds Colllide was not actually an effective way to launch the rocket.






And yet . . . the Chinese use that same design for their aircraft carriers!



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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