Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014) Reviews

• Mark Twain's classic story destroyed in a train-wreck of a movie

  fourpuke2015-08-31

  I love the Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn stories, and have collected as many filmed versions as possible, including updated ones. When this DVD appeared, I had high hopes of its content because of the presence of Jake T. Austin & Joel Courtney, both likable and very capable young actors. Oh dear, what a mess it turned out to be, adapted and directed by Jo Kastner from Germany, and filmed in Bulgaria. It was clear from the start that Kastner had little cultural grasp on Mark Twain's small town, mid-West American world in the middle of the 19th Century, nor any grasp whatsoever of pace and depth in presenting the characters and story. It is an express train journey through "Tom Sawyer", with a bit of "Huckleberry Finn" pointlessly stuck on the end, with no time to explore or indulge in the unfolding scenes. The inclusion of Val Kilmer (doubtless for "star" appeal) portraying the author Mark Twain wasted valuable time which should have gone into the main plot. Whilst Joel Courtney did his smiling best in the role of Tom Sawyer, Jake T. Austin played Huckleberry Finn at best with detachment if not actually in a continuous sulk, perhaps aware of the poor material he was made to perform and unhappy being in Bulgaria, a backward Eastern European country far away from the Mississippi. Katherine McNamara was a poor choice as Becky Thatcher, and the rest of the casting was a mess, not least an insipid Injun Joe. The 2011 German language "Tom Sawyer" film is infinitely more enjoyable, even with the language barrier, and if you want a highly watchable and authentic telling of "Tom Sawyer", the 1938 film starring Tommy Kelly holds up very well, as does the semi-musical version from 1973 starring Johnny Whitaker. In short, avoid this German/Bulgarian disaster movie like you would food poisoning.

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• not the best but...

  Kirpianuscus2015-06-28

  maybe, it is not the most inspired adaptation. but it is nice, seductive, cool and funny. and after so many adaptation, front to high expectations, it has the great virtue to be good occasion to remind the atmosphere of a classic. only sin - Val Kilmer as Mark Twain. too much make-up and a too strange performance. but that is only a small detail. an easy film who has the flavor of classic novel. and that is enough for good entertainment. inspired option for the lead characters for the image level, decent performances, beautiful images. and a film not for high expectations but for fun. version for a new generation, it preserves the spirit of original work. and that fact is real important. the others - only few details.

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• Fairly Faithful Adaptation, Relatively Decent Adventure

  DareDevilKid2014-12-15

  Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK) Rating: 3/5 stars Retains the flavor of Twain's beloved characters while also providing a good origin story for subsequent endeavors. If only the plot had more coherence, the direction was more solid, and some scenes did not seem rushed, this one had the chutzpah to go down as a rip-roaring, swashbuckling, classic adventure film. As it is, this version of Sawyer and Finn does have enough steam to make us invest time in the characters and also introduce today's generation to two classic American heroes from two of the greatest American novels. The canvas harks back to a bygone era, and the set pieces are authentic along with successfully evoking a sense of nostalgia. The adventure unfolds as Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn – Tom's friend from the streets – witness a murder in the graveyard. Tom and Huck flee to Jackson Island and make a pact never to tell anyone about the incident. However, when the good-natured Muff Potter, who has been blamed for the murder is sentenced to death by hanging, Tom breaks his promise and returns to exonerate Muff Potter. In jun Joe, the actual murderer, makes a hasty exit from the courtroom during the trial. A short time later, Tom and Huck find references to a treasure and have to face In jun Joe again. The film is also quite a faithful adaptation of Twain's first great novel, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", and includes the whitewash episode, puppy love, the graveyard murder, the boys' running away to Jackson's Island, the salvation of Muff Potter, and the cave adventure. The ensemble cast, especially the two titular leads, does a fine job of reinterpreting Twain's classic characters, now part of global folklore. Val Kilmer surprisingly does quite a good Twain in his cameo and voice-over. Quintessentially Sawyer and Finn in spirit, though not in reach, the film heralds a hopeful dawn of a faithful, long overdue, rendition of two of the most sublime adventure novels ever penned.

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• Hot Mess

  clarascloset-366212017-01-08

  It is tragically unfortunate that the casting director, director, producer, executive producers and quite possibly the actors themselves have not read the book! I wonder why anyone would think it would be okay to take an American Classic, create a screenplay for it and disregard the author's purpose? Mark Twain had a very specific message. Hmmm, creative license only works when you are being creative. The book was about the unlikely friendship between a white boy and a black boy during that era. Too bad because the action sequences and the way the narrative was portrayed could have worked, and been recognized by the industry and the public as fantastic. Kudos for placing a great character actor, Val Kilmer as the older Tom Sawyer.

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• Just poorly executed.

  jramza-12016-01-31

  The positives: 1. Another fine performance from the boy who plays in Super 8. 2. Great soundtrack. Really. It doesn't seem to fit this film. The negatives: 1. Poor screenplay. Dialogue tries to be faithful to time period but comes off very odd and wooden/ artificial. 2. Poor casting. Outside of the main character of Tom, every other actor seems destined to play in B movies. 3. Poor editing. No doubt due to (1) above, but the editing was choppy, in large part due to a choppy storyline / script. 4. Poorly synced voice overs (see #5). 5. Poor casting. The teacher has a jarringly odd, non-Midwestern accent (German?) which simply pulls the viewer out of the movie. Becky is a fine actress but is just not well cast to this Tom. The judge clearly never voices a single line; everything is (poorly) dubbed for this Bulgarian actor. 6. Dialogue tried to be faithful to the time period but failed. Toward the end, I believe Tom even says "fudge" for "fu--." Dialogue /scripting was just very artificial. 7. Storyline was methodical but never natural. Things "happened." But it never flowed. 8. Some scenes of the Mississippi were shot on 16 mm (or poorer quality film stock) and inserted into the movie, but they don't integrate well. 9. Narratives of Mark Twain (Val Kilmer) interrupt the story, and, while they introduce a novel concept to the storyline, simply feel odd/off to story progression. In short, this really felt like a C movie (not even a B movie) in caliber, due to uneven production value.

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