Le Tour du monde en 80 jours

Movie goers planning to see a faithful and traditional screen adaptation of the Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days will be disappointed in the new version released by Disney, and produced and starring Jackie Chan. Those looking for a moderately amusing and quite diverting Hong Kong action-comedy will be positively delighted.

Disney has obviously pitched this latest screen version of the well loved adventure tale to a young audience, and the marketing strategy is ideal. American kids, forced to take standardized tests but not required to do real learning in school will be totally ignorant of the wholesale changes the ham handed screen writers have made to the literary source material and will have no clue what so ever that the 'historic' references and interpolated real characters and situations are vastly inaccurate. They will recognize mentions of Thomas Edison or the Wright Brothers with out ever knowing why they don't fit in. At the top of the film, an on-screen title identifies the time as before the turn of the century, and that inexact reference provides most of the historical bloopers through out, as it seems no one involved in the film knew what could be forgiven in the name of entertaining fiction and what strains credibility.

The bare bones of the plot that Verne set down in 1872 are still here, but what director Frank Coraci and a trio of screen writers have done is follow the Verne book so loosely that you can hear those bare bones rattle as this action picture careens from one corner of the globe to the other.: A proper British gentleman, orderly and efficient, accepts a wager that he can circle the globe in the span of just more that two months, or 80 days. He is assisted by his resourceful valet, who is not British and along the way wins the heart of a fair maiden and finds true love as well as the successful completion of his wager.

Knowing that Mr. Coraci is the film maker who gave us The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy will give some idea of the level of humor involved in most scenes. Further confidence will not be gained from the writing trio's pat efforts, as one is making his feature film debut and another wrote for the sitcom Who's the Boss. The most obvious stamp on this production is made by star Jackie Chan, who is also and executive producer and stunt arranger on this film.

My young son has developed a taste for martial arts film after seeing a Bruce Lee movie on cable, so I have taken in a few of Mr. Chan's more recent efforts on DVD. Chan's American films are less serious than his Chinese language pictures, playing on Chan's ability to perform the most amazing physical feats along with his charming method of not acting. The action sequences are always astonishing, and Around the World serves up a superb sampling of what he can do, and do very well. The character Chan plays was a Frenchman in Verne's rendering, but the movie changes things in an almost plausible way to account for the obvious fact that Chan is not of that background.

Changes are made in the main character as well. Steve Coogan plays Philieas Fogg, the Englishman who makes the wager and travels the globe to win it, and Coogan should learn from Chan's example the wisdom of being not only actor but producer. Though he plays what is arguably the main character in the story, Coogan is billed second, behind Chan in the film's credits. Coogan delivers a character that is far more 'obviously' eccentric that Verne may have imagined, and the script plays up some of this in making Fogg and mad inventor type who concocts outlandish-and ahead of their time-inventions that the scientific establishment will not embrace. I am ready to bet good money that the director or one of the screen writers was making a sort of homage to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with this characterization of Fogg, since he comes across much like the genial mad scientist that Dick Van Dyke played in that film.

Seeing this film reminded me of the affection that I have for a previous screen version, the one that starred David Niven as Fogg, in a masterful performance that seems to sum up the effete bravado that is a stereotypical British Gentleman. At one point of the circumnavigation while in India, Niven as Fogg is given what every Britisher needs in a warm clime, a pith helmet, but his has a sort of veil or ribbon that hangs down the back. It is an usual sartorial flourish that not every actor could carry off, because wearing a hat with a veil just looks girly on most guys, but Niven not only makes it work but makes it work for him.

Any good adventure story, and this is one, needs a villain to hiss at, and Jim Broadbent has obvious fun as the blustering Lord Kelvin that he threatens to steal the show from some of the less raucous performers. Kathy Bates has a forcefully memorable cameo as Queen Victoria, and looks like the best screen Victoria in some time. Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up as Turkish prince and displays the acting prowess that indicate his continued occupancy of the Governor's office is a good thing for the art of cinema.

Although the costumes don't give a clear definition of time period, they are handsome to look at, and there is a lot of good design work that has gone into this film. Each culture and geographic region is set off in contrast to the others we encounter, and the animated transitions between live action scenes are an effective and charming way to move along in style.

My bottom line: 2.5 out of 5 stars. Worth a matinee.

My son's bottom line 'I liked the fights' He didn't fall asleep or ask to leave.

I have watched the original version of this film a few months back and think that was way better then this one. I thought some of the jokes were pretty lame and unoriginal. Steve Coogan particularly doesn't seem to fit in a comedic role. The cameo roles were ok but nothing amazing. I found Arnold's cameo as a Turkish Monarch rather drab and I thought they should have done some more. Jackie Chan as usual out did himself with some of his stunts. Making some ordinary items into weapons are just great.

SOme of the effects were OK especially the shots showing the different cities they went to. A little to much "computery" but none the less good enough.

The ending I thought was a serious disappointment. Instead of ending on a high it went down with a big THUD!

What a fun movie. Far from perfect but far from boring! Nice cast, great choreographed action scenes performed by Jackie Chan and comedy delivered by Steve Coogan! Deserves a higher rating. Great for a Sunday afternoon! 8/10

The film deals about a Victorian English gentleman (Steve Coogan),an inventor of fantastic inventions called Phileas Fogg and a Chinese thief(Jacke Chan)named Passapart.He takes a wager that he can circle the globe around the world in 80 days.They are accompanied by an enticing,likable artist(Cecil De France).Just before the time they leave a valuable jade Buddha is robbed and the authorities and president(Jim Broadbent) of Bank of England believe that Fogg is the guilty and they set out after him.Using various means of transport like balloons,trains,steamer,flying machine and following a way goes to Paris,Turkey,India ,China,USA, they are trying back to London.In the traveling they know to historical personages like Wright brothers(Owen,Luke Wilson),Colonel Kitchener(Ian McNiece),Lord Salisbury,Lord Rhodes and even the Queen Victoria(Kathy Bates). This funny picture is plenty of adventures,humor,action packed,rip-roaring and spectacular outdoors.From the start to the final the entertainment and amusement is continued.Jackie Chan,as always ,utilizes his astonishing martial arts(without computer generator) abilities along with Sammo Hung(Martial Law) to defend the friends against the enemies and from the many risks,odds during the dangerous trip.Appear a variety of cameos by known actors as Arnold Schwarzenegger,Mark Addy(steamer captain),John Cleese(a police)Luke,Owen Wilson.. .The colorfully cinematography is well reflected on sensational landscapes by cameraman Phil Meheux. Lively music by Trevor Ravin.The film is correctly directed by Frank Coraci.The motion picture will like to Jacke Chan fans and adventures cinema enthusiastic. Anothers version about the Jules Verne novel are :the classic by Michael Anderson with David Niven and Cantinflas,and the TV adaptation by Buzz Kulik with Pierce Brosnan and Eric Idle.

Many reviews here complaining that the movie is not faithful to the book... oh, please, it's a lot of boring people in today's world.

I'm 55 years old, I read the book when I was young, I saw the movie with David Niven, and I say this version with Jackie Chan is extremely fun and cute.

"Ah, but it's not true to the book at all." And? If you want to see the same thing, go read the book or look for the version with David Niven, which is more faithful, but is a pain in the ass to watch. I would even understand this type of complaint if that was the purpose of the film, but it is clearly not, the proposal here is to make a light, fun comedy that brings good feelings, only superficially based on the book by Jules Verne, and this objective was achieved in my opinion. I had fun during the 2 hours of projection and it was worth my time invested.

Rating 7 out of 10.