Skellig

Unfortunately at present there isn't the function to give a rating for Skellig due to it's current status on IMDb, but if there was one I would rate it 10/10.

I saw Skellig on Sky One last night, and although it was a little on the long side I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

Tim Roth was brilliant as Skellig, and he captured the character brilliantly, keeping me interested throughout, which is a hard thing to do these days concerning the amount of rubbish on television at present.

If you missed the airing on Sky One, then definitely find a way to watch this - it was rather unfair for those who do not have Sky and are left with only Freeview, but if all the others watching it enjoyed it as much as myself, I am sure it will soon be out on DVD.

Definitely worth seeing whether you remember the book coming out like myself, or whether you're a young person looking for something compelling to watch.

Skellig was one of my childhood books and it has stuck with ever since I was 10 years old (at my school there were two camps for a little while, the Chamber of Secrets camp and the Skellig camp, I was in the latter). I was always sure that in the right hands it could translate into a great film, but was never sure who's hands those were.

My mind certainly didn't ever even consider Annabel Jankel, especially after she aided in the insulting filmic version of one of my other childhood loves (Super Mario Bros.). But, all in all, I was very impressed. Casting was near perfection, especially Tim Roth and John Simm, relative newcomer Skye Bennett also did very well in what was probably the most difficult role of them all (Mina). Kelly Macdonald was also on good form as the mother, however she didn't get nearly enough face time and a good few of her better moments from the book were omitted.

Luckily that and an amusing moment involved Michael's father desperately searching for the missing aspirin while in the grip of a hangover were the only parts cut from the tale. The ending felt a bit more blatant than it had been in the book, I would've like the 'dancing' scene and Skellig's curing of the baby to have felt more distant and dreamlike as they did in the novel. Still, Skellig himself looked fantastic and the production team did well to steer clear of the temptation of religious iconography, it was as David Almond likely intended it, a heartwarming tale of love, intrigue, the natural and the supernatural. All of those ideas translated perfectly, and I'm glad to see Skellig maintained his ever entertaining penchant for brown ale and 27 and 53.

The highlight of Skellig was Tim Roth's acting. I feel that the film was just not really that great at all, just not as good as the Book by David Almond. Sure, It was close enough to the book in areas, but it just sort of failed for me.

It almost seems sad that an actor like Tim Roth is in this, as he could do (and has done) so much better, and in better films. The other actors were 'meh' and just didn't seem to act very well. But what do you expect from a TV movie that everyone forgets about?

But other people seemed to enjoy it, so I guess that most people liked it better than I did.

Final Review: 5 / 10

I knew very little about the movie when I stumbled upon it on the TV schedule, but something in the summery seemed right, so I decided to give it a watch. Never regretted my decision. It's acted superbly and directed without a drop of excess, and considering the story this quite an achievement. Hollywood would've made it into a sentimental mush thankfully it's not the case. I was annoyed however with the title given to it in Hebrew which is almost a matter of habit with films translated here, in this case both the name and the summery provided were in-fact an unnecessary spoiler, which the original title avoids unless you already know the book, which is unlikely in Israel. I'm going to look for the book now, it must be a real treat.

Incredibly good movie portraying every emotion! A must watch, especially if you are feeling a little hopeless. This movie depicts the true heart of children. 'Be as children'