Slato Metakide on 20/9/2006 at 13:07
(
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430674/)
I only just began to read the book 'The Thief Lord' this week and just before I found that link I thought to myself 'wouldn't this book make a great movie.' And it turned out that it was already made and released, just not where I live (Auz) yet.
Have any of you seen it yet? I want to know what you guys think, i'm enjoying the book atm so i'm interested in seeing the movie.
Scots Taffer on 20/9/2006 at 13:29
Toowomba, eh? I got sent a viral e-mail recently with the title Poowomba. It was worthy of an lol despite the recent voting to the contrary.
SD on 20/9/2006 at 13:41
It got very poor reviews, for what it's worth. I always love it when critics slate a film, so let's see what they said about this one :D
Steve Rose (The Guardian): "An awkward tale following two orphaned brothers who fall in with an uncannily clean and well-spoken gang of child thieves, led by the enigmatic adolescent of the title. The grown-ups - mostly British TV actors - all ham it up gamely, but the budget seems to have run dry just when the convoluted plot calls for some special effects"
Philip French (The Observer): "I once thought it impossible to make a really bad movie in Venice, but after Mike Figgis's Hotel, Heath Ledger in Casanova and now the German-UK-Luxembourg co-production, The Thief Lord, I'm ready to eat my words and wash them down with a bottle of prosecco. The film is stilted, poorly written, has an overwrought score and a wealth of bad acting."
Neil Smith (BBC): "The kids aren't alright in The Thief Lord, a tedious escapist fantasy that plays like Oliver Twist in Venice. Based on the children's novel by Cornelia Funke, Richard Claus' tale of runaway ragamuffins in the land of the Cornetto adds some Peter Pan, Harry Potter and the Famous Five to the mix in its attempts to entertain a juvenile audience. Alas, that media-savvy demographic is more likely to be patronised than capitivated by this dated, moralistic fable."
Strangeblue on 20/9/2006 at 19:40
I saw it on DVD a few months ago. It's pretty and we found it amusing, but the voice looping was horrible in several places and the approach of the film is horrendously naive and inconsistent. There are also a lot of plot holes and flat characters. A lot of interesting things were hinted at, but not developed. I had the feeling a lot had been left on the cutting room floor that would have made the story run smoother and feel more "magical." It's far from the worst kid's fim I've ever seen, but it could have been better. I haven't read the book, so I don't know how it compares.
Slato Metakide on 21/9/2006 at 00:38
Damn, so the movie seems to be disappointing. A shame, as the book seems so good, so far at least (:
