Skellig

As far as children's fantasy films go, "Skellig" is excellent. One of the best ever, in fact. Unlike a lot of other such adaptations to come out in the past few years, this film is never overwhelmed by special effects or action sequences. Rather, it's quite grounded in reality as natural feeling. There's that certain combination of improbability and cinematic style that always keeps it from being an experience that transcends the genre, but that comes with the territory.

Bill Milner (as Michael), who I'd seen previously in "Is Anybody There?" is what focuses the film. He offers up a performance that's at once easy to identify with and totally believable. Skye Bennett, who played his friend, was also very good. She has the kind of brilliance that makes you look forward to seeing more of her. Two actors I'd previously liked a lot (Kelly Macdonald and John Simm) play Michael's parents. Though less significant roles, it's their talent that makes the family aspect of the film so much more convincing.

As for Tim Roth - he is what it all hinges on. The melancholy, fearfulness, emotional expression and power of his performance gives "Skellig" something beyond expectation. He takes the film to a higher level. The director, Annabel Jankel, who'd not previously made anything approaching decent quality, proves herself to be someone capable of telling a good story. I enjoyed this film, and I'd show it to my kids.

If I had any.

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.

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.

A beautiful and compelling movie...

I read the book when I was fourteen years old and never forgot it, in fact I loved it so much that I was determined to make a movie after it. Sadly this version was made first, but I'm not angry for it is truly a worthy adaption, I only wish it played in the cinema. Most kid movies nowadays are filled with rot and trash, this film however is packed with good morals and deep characters.

A must see for fans of the book and certainly for any child around or adult for that matter. David Almond should be proud and I hope this film moves into the public's eye, cause a better kids movie I have yet to watch. The graphics are perfect and the book to screenplay format works wonderfully. Tim Roth does an excellent job, who would have thought Ted the bellhop/Mr Orange could have acted as an angel/bird, well the awesome Taurus pulled his weight and shines. The children also are great, in fact the cast and crew together made an amazing film!

100 out 10

Given the cast I thought I couldn't go wrong with this.

My mistake.

I felt the film a string of wasted opportunities. A cast to die for thrown at a script littered with tropes. A magical element very much underutilised. Questions left hanging unanswered but the mystery so little fleshed out that the absence of answers is met with a shrug in any case.

The characterisation is shallow. The misanthrope turned inexplicable saviour. Inexplicable dislike transformed into equally inexplicable friendship. And vice-versa. All these things could have been better set up, but instead they seemed to rely on the very existence of such tropes to work - oh, the audience is familiar with this sort of thing happening so they won't question it sort of logic. It happens in the movies so here it is again happening in a movie.

Throughout the film veers towards the mawkish on the back of a plot so threadbare that the moment you know what the crisis is you know precisely how it will be resolved by what means.

I boosted my rating a star or so in acknowledgement that this film is probably targeted at an older-children, young-adult audience and I just ain't there no more, but I can't help feeling this is one for conservative parents who see all the boxes ticked, the kind of parents whose children you feel sorry for if their children are actually capable of thinking.

Safe, predictable fare for unthinking children, then. Otherwise avoid. Above all, don't be seduced by that cast list.