The Legend of Johnny Lingo

The leads and the supporting characters that get the most screen time are solid (a couple of them appeared in "Whale Rider", where they were outstanding, so you know that they were capable of more than they were given here) -- the shortcomings are primarily in the script, I think. Some of the supporting cast are a bit wooden, and the script is often a little cliched, but it's very sweet and the locations are beautiful.

It's a very gentle film with its heart in the right place, so I would recommend it for younger kids, and I think that most adults won't mind watching it with their kids. If you're a softie like my wife, you'll actually enjoy it...

I saw this movie a couple of days after it opened. The theater was packed. It is not a movie with deep twists and plots, it's a child's movie. A visually beautiful movie. I lived in Hawaii for three years as a child and this movie brought back memories of how beautiful the islands in the South Pacific are. It also reminded me of the good clean action movies that used to come on TV on the Wonderful World of Disney. Anybody remember watching those movies growing up? Hollywood doesn't make many movies like this anymore. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Legend of Johnny Lingo is an extended story of the 70's original. It goes into Johnny Lingo's childhood and explains how he first met his wife and how he first became a goods trader. It is a fun movie for all, including those who loved the first version.

If you're looking for a clean cut family film with lots of symbolic undertones (good messages) then "Legend" could serve the purpose. It offers good location filming, some very good actors amongst what seems like a mostly amateur cast. The real star of this piece is most certainly the music score by respected composer Kevin Kiner. Mr Kiner's written several moving pieces all treated to unexpectedly lush orchestral arrangements. Some good ethnic pop songs also help to set the scene.

Director of photography is the highly regarded New Zealander Allen Guilford and features some very good looking locations. The film is directed and edited by first time feature director Stephen Ramirez. It won't please hard bitten audiences but anyone looking for the style of matinée movie from yesteryear should be fairly well pleased (although the girls unpleasant drunkard father could be seen as a tad unsettling for some). This movie is an extended version of an earlier short film (Johnny Lingo 1969) from a story by Pat Mcgerr. Seen better - but sure seen worse! (just off the cuff, the promo posters don't particularly suit this version)

This movie was surprisingly good. The story is engaging and well told. The plot does have some holes, but they are not really relevant to enjoying the film. The scenery is absolutely incredible - the locations were this was filmed was great. I spent a good bit of the first part of the movie trying to place the date and location, which is doable. I like the fact that they used actors and actresses that actually were from the islands and looked the real part.

This is also a great film to watch with your family - there are not a lot of good films you can watch with your young kids and all enjoy. The entire story was suitable for all audiences.

I never saw the original - so not sure about the comparisons with the older version.