I think it's time to cut poor Robert Pattinson some slack. Since he was cast as the sweet-talking and pale vampire Edward Cullen in the teen hit "Twilight" all boyfriends in the world are jealous of the one guy their girlfriends are more in love with then them at times, and have therefore labeled him as an atrocious actor with no talent and a face that lacks any sort of expression. Well, granted "The Twilight Saga" or "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" certainly haven't shown him in the greatest light as a performer, but then again those two film series are not exactly best known for their outstanding opportunities to demonstrate fine acting. Therefore, the adaptation of Sara Gruen's novel about a circus during the Great Depression era in the 1930s "Water for Elephants" turned out to be the first big screen trial, and as far as I'm concerned, he passed the test with flying colors. The film turned out to be an extremely well-made, enjoyable and superbly acted drama, that was by far the best film about the circus I have seen in a long time.
In 1931, Jacob Jankowski is just about to get his degree in veterinary sciences from Cornell, when his parents pass away in a car accident and leave their son homeless and without a future. Traveling along the railroads, he one night encounters a train full performers from the Benzini Brothers Circus, who take him to a brand-new life and offer him a job. He soon meets the animal trainer and ringmaster August, a charismatic, but arrogant and brutal man, who first wants to throw Jacob of the train but hesitates when he finds out he is a veterinarian. Instead, he hires him to treat the injury of his star attraction, a beautiful horse, trained by August's wife Marlene. But soon August discovers a new attraction, an elephant named Rosie and he picks Jacob to train her. But when he sees that Jacob is unwilling to establish complete control over her, he turns raging and brutally forces the elephant to listen to his orders. Jacob turns more and more against August, and falls in love with Marlene, who is torn between being with the man she loves, or the man who was responsible for making her a star.
Although Francis Lawrence's only two works as a director so far have been the comic book adaptation "Constantine" and the acclaimed science-fiction horror thriller "I am Legend", he handles a historical film with great ease, and transformed Gruen's novel onto the big screen in a mix of lush sets and colors, but also a tone of sadness and melancholy in regard to the Great Depression. "Water for Elephants", while more of a fairy tale than historical fiction, is brilliantly executed on a fairly small scale that rightfully indulges in its sparse, but well-constructed sets. The film conveys a perfect circus atmosphere, especially when the tent is built and dozens of workers are pulling on the ropes, or a montage of circus acts is shown with the underlying and incredibly nostalgic music by James Newton Howard. Ultimately, it's a tour de force that relies on its escapist tone and particularly a scene when Jacob and August first met, and the latter takes the newcomer on the roof of the train, you feel the thrill and excitement of taking a journey that you are curious to witness. Although the story is not nearly as creative, with a rough, yet charming young outsider falling in love with a beautiful circus performer, who is married to an older and brutish man, and certainly does trip over one or the other cliché occasionally, it's told with passion and dynamically, so there's always the occasional unexpected twist. The film is also a bit light on the real despair that went on during the Great Depression, and although the true horrors are hinted at occasionally, there's a reason it's merely rated PG-13.
As mentioned, Robert Pattinson deserves some props for stepping up his game big time for this film, and considering his face finally doesn't look like a bucket of chalk has been emptied over it, he has a quite weathered and charming aura, that will come to serve him well in the future. His chemistry with Reese Witherspoon though was a bit dry, especially compared to the sizzling of her and Christoph Waltz, which may be because she's 11 years older than him. Nevertheless, individually they are both superb, with Witherspoon giving a tough and sympathetic performance as a star, who's been at the very bottom and will do anything never to get back there again. But the show is once again stolen by Christoph Waltz, who is one of those actors, who never seems to miss a beat or step out of line in the slightest. The delivery of every single syllable is perfectly timed and precisely planned, and he is easily one of the most intimidating and brilliant actors Hollywood has seen in a long time. But it really was quite amazing that August always seemed to be able to pull his bodyguards from hammer space, whenever Jacob was ready to attack him, which was my only real issue surrounding his character. Hal Holbrook also leaves an impression as an older Jacob, narrating the story, and finishing up the film with a moving and wonderfully final line.
Mostly due to the fantastic leading trio of actors, especially Christoph Waltz, and the surprisingly inspired direction by Francis Lawrence, who has just recommended himself for more historical film projects, the film is enjoyable and moving at the same time. I have just won back my love for the circus thanks to this film.
In 1931, Jacob Jankowski is just about to get his degree in veterinary sciences from Cornell, when his parents pass away in a car accident and leave their son homeless and without a future. Traveling along the railroads, he one night encounters a train full performers from the Benzini Brothers Circus, who take him to a brand-new life and offer him a job. He soon meets the animal trainer and ringmaster August, a charismatic, but arrogant and brutal man, who first wants to throw Jacob of the train but hesitates when he finds out he is a veterinarian. Instead, he hires him to treat the injury of his star attraction, a beautiful horse, trained by August's wife Marlene. But soon August discovers a new attraction, an elephant named Rosie and he picks Jacob to train her. But when he sees that Jacob is unwilling to establish complete control over her, he turns raging and brutally forces the elephant to listen to his orders. Jacob turns more and more against August, and falls in love with Marlene, who is torn between being with the man she loves, or the man who was responsible for making her a star.
Although Francis Lawrence's only two works as a director so far have been the comic book adaptation "Constantine" and the acclaimed science-fiction horror thriller "I am Legend", he handles a historical film with great ease, and transformed Gruen's novel onto the big screen in a mix of lush sets and colors, but also a tone of sadness and melancholy in regard to the Great Depression. "Water for Elephants", while more of a fairy tale than historical fiction, is brilliantly executed on a fairly small scale that rightfully indulges in its sparse, but well-constructed sets. The film conveys a perfect circus atmosphere, especially when the tent is built and dozens of workers are pulling on the ropes, or a montage of circus acts is shown with the underlying and incredibly nostalgic music by James Newton Howard. Ultimately, it's a tour de force that relies on its escapist tone and particularly a scene when Jacob and August first met, and the latter takes the newcomer on the roof of the train, you feel the thrill and excitement of taking a journey that you are curious to witness. Although the story is not nearly as creative, with a rough, yet charming young outsider falling in love with a beautiful circus performer, who is married to an older and brutish man, and certainly does trip over one or the other cliché occasionally, it's told with passion and dynamically, so there's always the occasional unexpected twist. The film is also a bit light on the real despair that went on during the Great Depression, and although the true horrors are hinted at occasionally, there's a reason it's merely rated PG-13.
As mentioned, Robert Pattinson deserves some props for stepping up his game big time for this film, and considering his face finally doesn't look like a bucket of chalk has been emptied over it, he has a quite weathered and charming aura, that will come to serve him well in the future. His chemistry with Reese Witherspoon though was a bit dry, especially compared to the sizzling of her and Christoph Waltz, which may be because she's 11 years older than him. Nevertheless, individually they are both superb, with Witherspoon giving a tough and sympathetic performance as a star, who's been at the very bottom and will do anything never to get back there again. But the show is once again stolen by Christoph Waltz, who is one of those actors, who never seems to miss a beat or step out of line in the slightest. The delivery of every single syllable is perfectly timed and precisely planned, and he is easily one of the most intimidating and brilliant actors Hollywood has seen in a long time. But it really was quite amazing that August always seemed to be able to pull his bodyguards from hammer space, whenever Jacob was ready to attack him, which was my only real issue surrounding his character. Hal Holbrook also leaves an impression as an older Jacob, narrating the story, and finishing up the film with a moving and wonderfully final line.
Mostly due to the fantastic leading trio of actors, especially Christoph Waltz, and the surprisingly inspired direction by Francis Lawrence, who has just recommended himself for more historical film projects, the film is enjoyable and moving at the same time. I have just won back my love for the circus thanks to this film.