Around the World in 80 Days [DVD] [2004]

 

 

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Lau Xing (played by Jackie Chan) is on the run from the London police, and he finds a hiding place in the home of Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan), an eccentric inventor whom he quickly convinces that he's French! When Fogg accepts a challenge to prove that he can indeed go around the world in 80 days, he packs up Lau Xing and sets out. But, there's schemes afoot, and schemes within schemes. Can Fogg and Lau Xing make it back to England within the 80 days? Overcoming many villains and obstacles, there's nothing that can stop them!

OK, I must admit that I can easily see why this is such a controversial movie. The makers of this movie took the original Jules Verne story, and turned it every which way but loose! With wacky inventions, karate fight scenes, humorous chases, and goofy humor, this is not a movie to be taken seriously. Indeed, if you start out watching this movie by suspending your disbelief far away, you will come to enjoy its crazy, off-beat humor.

My children, who are not fans of serious drama, loved this movie, as did I. It's a good, family-friendly movie that you can watch when you want to unwind and shift your brain into neutral. My family and I highly recommend this movie to you and your family!

Ever seen one of those films you really wanted to like but just wouldn't let you?

Firstly, to ward off the common criticism of people who didn't like this film, I hold no special brief for expecting a faithful version of Verne's novel. In fact, the idea of adding Chan to the mix seemed a perfectly workable one. It's the end result that's the problem - too patronising for kids, too infantile for grownups.

Chan's a man famous for suffering for his art, but the pain in Around the World in 80 Days is all on the audience's side. It's rare to come across a $100m+ budgeted film that has virtually nothing going for it, but this appalling misfire comes very, very close. The reworked premise should have offered a workable framework, but in the hands of hack writers and an inept director more at home with Adam Sandler films, the result is just painful to watch - it has the look and feel of something a kid late with his homework assignment knocked off on the bus on the way to school. Not only that, but they barely even travel the world - aside from a couple of days shooting in Paris and a few days in Thailand doubling very unconvincingly for China, the film never leaves the backlot at Babelsburg. They don't even fall back on stock footage much, choosing to link the lame episodes by computer graphics that look like the kind of cheap Christmas decorations you get in dollar shops and which burn the house down if you leave them on too long.

Jackie Chan is wasted as usual by ignorant producers who seem too surprised that he's actually a physical comedian rather than a martial artist (no excrement, Sherlock!) to actually know what to do with him, but fares better than his costars, albeit largely by default. Steve Coogan, often so brilliant on TV, once again fails completely to transfer his abilities to the big screen with an extremely poor and overplayed Phileas Fogg; Cecile de France's uncharismatic heroine is a bit of a pain, to put it mildly; Jim Broadbent's villain is a masterclass in how to get a bad performance out of a good comic actor; Arnold Schwarzenegger in hideous make-up and costume is almost bad enough to make you glad he chucked in the acting for politics (almost); and worst of all, Ewan Bremner's Inspector Fix is the worst performance I've seen this century, a hideously unfunny gurning, shouting monstrosity that plays like a demented Regimental Sergeant Major with a cockney accent even Dick Van Dyke would be ashamed of. The cameos are no better - a far from star-studded bunch (a very unhealthy looking Sammo Hung, John Cleese proving once again he doesn't do funny any more, Kathy Bates flubbing the accent as Queen Vic, Luke and Owen Wilson wasted in both senses of the word as the Wright brothers), with only Rob Schneider raising a laugh. When the appearance of Rob Schneider actually raises the quality of a film for a minute, you know you're in serious trouble. The less said about Mark Addy's no-nippled sea dog the better.

Worse still, it all looks so cheap. You really cannot see where the money went, although the fact that the film is listed as an Anglo-Irish-German co-production makes you suspect a massive tax fiddle. Chan's stunt scenes seem lazy and under-rehearsed, the backlots never convince and Phil Meheux's photography in the first hour is quite dreadful (it looks like a 1970s Universal TV movie). That at least improves as the film progresses. Sadly, nothing else does. Rarely have the words 'The End' been so very, very welcome.

A film with Jackie Chan never disappoints - very funny and a fine balance between comedy, action, and drama/love story. A heart-warming film for all ages!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fast moving and very funny.
Family entertainment at it's best, with some classic lines and unexpected appearances by famous characters. Better by far that the David Niven version.

Published 10 months ago by P. Kolkowski

5.0 out of 5 stars Around the World in 80 Days
I saw this film at the cinema, and was not especially impressed, mainly due to comparing it unfavourably with the excellent 1956 David Niven version. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Mr. R. Howard

1.0 out of 5 stars around the world in 80 days
This movie is dreadful, it is unrelated to the book or the excellent M Todd version

Published on 7 Feb 2010 by Peter James

2.0 out of 5 stars Chan Good, Disney Bad
The good news about this film is that it stars the always hilarious Jackie Chan and is quite funny. The bad news is that it was done by Disney. Read more

Published on 19 Feb 2009 by Michael W. Perry

3.0 out of 5 stars This is not a remake, it is a loosely based on
This version of Jules Verne's original story "Around the World in 80 Days" takes so many liberties with the story that the only thing recognizable is a few names. Read more

Published on 20 Jan 2008 by bernie

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny - Brilliant!!!
First and foremost, I'm a Jackie Chan fan and while a lot of Jackie Chan fans didn't enjoy this film, I thought is was great. Read more

Published on 26 Nov 2007 by M. D. Long

2.0 out of 5 stars Around the World in Eighty Days.
It was far too frantic and disjointed. The story line lacked any clear continuity. The film script strayed too far away from Jules Verne's excellent story and for no valid... Read more

Published on 7 Dec 2005

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
I was really quite disappointed with this. There was too much "Jackie Chan" action in it for my liking, and it failed to hold my attention. Read more

Published on 24 Feb 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious!
This has got to be one of the best and funniest family-films I have ever seen! Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan and Cecile de France star in this wonderful film about an eccentric... Read more

Published on 9 Jan 2005 by jade_90

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Enjoyable DVD!
I got this movie for one reason, because one of my favourite actors is Steve Coogan himself. And if you have seen Alan Partridge, Day today and The Parole Officer, you probably... Read more

Published on 3 Jan 2005 by David Pursglove

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