Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-23 21:29:05

Very Entertaining Old Fashioned Adventure

We just watched the Blu Ray. I did not read the novel but the film is very entertaining every step of the way. It's a throw back film that reminds you of the way films were made years ago. Lots of adventure and drama. The cinematography is beautiful. Christoph Waltz, who plays the circus owner, has the best role and he does an excellent job. I could see him get a Academy Award nomination for supporting actor. Hal Halbrook is great as usual. The rest of the cast does well if not spectacular. This is a good old fashioned circus romance with plenty of drama and we really enjoyed it.

sambtween 2012-05-23 14:31:28

Would you pay money to support animal abuse?

The elephant(s) in this movie were tortured by electric shocks, cattle prods to get them to perform. Elephants are as intelligent as dogs, & are self-aware. they can recognize themselves in mirrors. This ruined the movie for me.

TB 2012-05-22 18:28:32

I love that elephant!

Saw the movie last night, just wished it would have ended better...more of Jacob and Marlena showing their life together would have been awesome. Overall, it was great! Go see it!

3xHCCH 2012-05-22 09:25:35

Old Story, Old Fashioned Look, I Did Not Really Like It

This was one of the oldest stories in the book -- a new man gets inbetween the relationship of a husband and a wife. But for "Water forElephants," this story was transported to the era of the GreatDepression in the US where a young vet student joins a traditional bigtop circus, led by its perfectionist ringleader and his star performerwife.I guess period set pieces like this would only appeal to certainpeople. I did not find the time or the setting particularlyinteresting. The presence of the the titular elephant Rosie wasengaging though, as the beast actually seemed to emote. Christoph Waltzdoes another one of his charming sadist roles as August, theringleader. Reese Witherspoon impressed me with some of her gymnasticskills as Marlena, but overall her performance was rather bland. Most of the audience attention was on Robert Pattinson to see if he canstep out of Edward's shadow in the Twilight movies. Interestingly, heplays a character named Jacob in this film. He has very distinct facialfeatures which makes it hard for him to disappear into a role. He wasable to show more variety here, and he looked right for the timeperiod. It is still very much in the love story genre though, so hisacting style is generally the same. So the final verdict is: If you like love stories, you might like thismovie. If you like the circus, you might like this movie. Despite allthe rave reviews I have been reading about it, I found this film ratheraverage because of the very familiar and therefore predictablestoryline.

Dale Haufrect 2012-05-22 20:22:51

A True Quality Film in "Water for Elephants"

The cinematic genius of director, Francis Lawrence, is extremely welldisplayed in his dynamic "Water for Elephants". The novel by Sara Gruenis adapted to the screen by Richard LaGravenese, and it is an elegantscreenplay adaptation. It is about a traveling circus and set in the1930's era. Christoph Waltz gives a perfect performance as the verycomplicated personality of August, the ringmaster. Reese Witherspoonvery graciously plays his wife, Marlena Rosenbluth. She is bothseductive and caring with her character being very believable. Theiremployee, Charlie, played by Robert Pattinson, is dashing and wellcast. All of the costuming and set design is totally perfect in thiscinema, and it does not depend on any plethora of violence or sex oranimated 3-D tricks to accomplish the theme of this compelling story.It should be seen before the Academy Awards start in the Kodak Theater.

2012-05-21 22:38:46

Water for Elephants

This review is from: Water for Elephants (DVD) Good book, good movie (DVD). I am glad I read the Kindle Reader book first. It was more explicit of the circus life than the movie. The book also tells us more about Jacob and his change of relationships with various people with whom he meets in the circus community. I know it is fiction, but there were things at the end of the book and the movie that needed to be explained. I enjoy books with various characters employed as part of the story and this book does justice to that.

2012-05-20 04:04:04

Great Love Story

Moving, well acted, with chemistry between all of the main characters, this movie really told a beautiful story. I was pleasantly surprised to see Robert Pattinson, of the Twilight series (vampires), able to portray Jacob with such sensitivity and depth. This is well worth watching more than once.

2012-05-19 12:25:12

Will Definitely Watch Again!

Didn't read the book... saw the movie... it was an action filled love story that kept us involved (sometimes with open jaws, sometimes with a drip of a tear...) the entire time. I have no idea what the one star or two star ratings are about.. other than possibly a show of how inflexible book readers are... y'know the individuals who say how reading books open their minds up.. and then you find there's nothing really there to begin with! I heartily reccommend this movie.. the characters were believable, lovable, hateable, and sometimes down right brutal.. also.. it was an interesting look back at the 1930's and the folly of prohibition.... it was set in Pa, and Ny in some locations so it felt close to home too.... we watched the extras and were amazed that so much of the filming was done on the Fox films property in California...I don't review many films.. this one is on the same level as "Serendipity" as far as the sexual tension between the lead characters.. and very well played... I don't think I'd let youngsters watch it.. it was definitely on the risque edge (and downright fun!) on more than a few occasions.... Enjoy and Regards...

A grandma 2012-05-19 11:53:21

Great Movie! A Must See!

This is one of the best movies that I've seen! Robert Pattinson does a superb job. He's a very natural actor and will go far in his career. I can't believe the ratings from the critics. I loved everything about this movie...set design, cinema photography, musical score...ACTING, directing... EVERYTHING. Don't listen to the critics. This is a must see movie!

2012-05-18 19:38:28

Fantastic Movie

I wasn't sure what to expect going in to see the movie. Usually hollywood changes so many things that the story is totally different, but the screenwriter did a good job keeping the heart of the book alive in the movie. Of course things were changed. I wish we got to see a little more of old Jacob, and see more of Kiko and Camel in the movie, but it didn't change the story too much. I understand that they can only fit so much into a two hour movie. I actually liked the how the writers combined the characters of August and Uncle Al. As for the actors I thought they did a wonderful job. Robert Pattinson played young Jacob exactly how he was in the book, and did a wonderful job in the movie. I'm starting to like him as an actor more and more with each movie he does. Christoph Waltz there are no words, the man won an oscar for playing a villian, so he played August wonderfully. Him and Pattinson played off each other. With Reese, I thought she played Marlena well enough with what was given to her. I think this is my biggest gripe with the film. I felt like the writers didn't give Marlena enough storyline. We really didn't even get to see her and Jacob connect the way we did in the book. With old Jacob, I thought Hal Holbrook did a wonderful job. He makes you feel the pain he is going through when he is telling the story. I didn't know at the time, but I found out they shot this movie around the same time his wife died. Last but not least is Rosie the elephant. Just like with the book, the viewers will fall in love with this amazing creature. The movie itself is beautifully shot and told. The director took advantage of the time period to show that. All-in-all it's a fantastic book, and now it's a fantastic movie.

2012-05-17 00:03:41

An Old Hollywood Classic

I was captivated by the book but now that I've seen the clips, I'm even more convinced that this movie will join the ranks of the film classics such as Titanic.From what I've seen this appears to be a feast for the eyes and shot in the manor of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer classics of old Hollywood. It depicts all the glamor that is the circus and all the drama that was The Great Depression. It was a time in our countries history when we were naive and learned the realities and harshness of life first hand. Much like the main character, a young Jacob Jankowski.I expect Francis Lawrence and Jack Fisk to work their magic and transport me to another place and time. I know I won't be disappointed.

2012-05-16 19:08:58

Water for elephants

This specific item came before date told to me and was as described. I enjoy watching it with no skips or problems. Great gift

Sabrina 2012-05-15 17:58:11

Absolutely beautiful

I've seen the movie twice now, and think it is absolutely stunning inevery way. The scenery and cinematography are gorgeous. The night shotsof the train through the countryside - spectacular. The actors werefantastic. I positively LOATHED Christoph's character, adored Rob'scharacter (and must admit, am horribly jealous of him for getting tohave the fantastic experience of hanging out with the animals) and amslightly puzzled at some reviewers disapproval of Reese's Marlena. I dothink I understand what is being said of her coming across slightlyremote, but I personally think it makes sense, given what her characterhas been through in her life. I think if you've read the book, you ofcourse have a much more in-depth understanding of the characters. Ifyou haven't read the book - do it. Its amazing.Admittedly I chose to leave the theatre for 5 minutes when August goesback for revenge against Rosie. But as anyone who has seen the moviewill attest, he receives his just desserts - in a perfect way, in myopinion.Just a beautiful movie, perfect for any age, and gender. Read the book.

mickus1983 2012-05-15 08:32:09

great movie despite the trailer

The trailer for this movie made it look really bad, however I waspleasantly surprised to find this movie really good.The story line was intriguing and full of suspense.The actors played the characters well and portrayed the emotionsassociated with their roles.Unlike other movies, I found it hard to predict what would happen nextin this film and was therefore interested until the end.Despite Rob Patterson not having a big name other than his role inTwilight, he was actually really good in this film and portrayed hischaracter great Loved the animals!

2012-05-13 23:18:33

TRULY SURPRISED that I loved it

This movie had a tremendous amount of mood and depth to it. It was a great read, and it stuck nicely to the story-line, time-permitting. I am not too big on this sort of movie, but this was done very well, with great characters and strong performances by all. I'd actually like to watch it again. I may even buy the DVD.

2012-05-13 12:42:19

Beautiful film, good adaptation & Robert Pattinson

America. The Great Depression.Jacob (Robert Pattinson) sits down to take his final exam, the last step to becoming a vet, when he receives some bad news. Both of his parents were killed in a car accident. Reeling, he flees his small town and follows the train tracks. He hops on the first train and as luck would have it, he has hopped the Banzini Bros. Traveling Circus. Camel (Jim Norton), an aging roustabout, becomes his official guide and guardian, getting him settled in with the circus. The next morning, Jacob gets some work but his eye wanders to Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), the star of the show. When one of her trained horses becomes sick, Jacob offers to help and attracts the attention of Auguste (Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds", "The Green Hornet"), the owner of Banzini Bros. He is also Marlena's husband. Jacob does some fast talking and quickly becomes the circus vet. But Marlena needs a new act and Auguste finds her a trained elephant. As the vet, the elephant's care and training falls to Jacob. He and Marlena spend a lot of time together and an almost inevitable chemistry grows between them. But Auguste has difficulty dealing with the stress of the circus and his growing jealousy."Water for Elephants", based on the bestseller by Sara Gruen, is a very beautiful film with a very old-fashioned narrative and visual style. This isn't a criticism. In fact, this old-fashioned style only seems to allow us the time and energy to focus on the characters and story. And this makes both even more powerful and memorable.At the end of the film, the first credit was for director Francis Lawrence. I didn't recognize the name at the time, but I was impressed. The second credit was for writer Richard LaGravanese, which didn't surprise me at all. In Hollywood, there are maybe a half dozen screenwriters who are attached to just about every weighty, serious and 'award worthy' film. LaGravanese is one of those writers. He crafts superb screenplays allowing the director and actors to get a jump start on creating a high quality film.A few days after watching "Elephants", I was going through some old reviews I wrote and a familiar name popped up. Francis Lawrence. As a director, he got his start working on high profile music videos. His first feature film? "Constantine" starring Keanu Reeves as a guy who is fighting the Devil in modern-day Los Angeles. (Aren't we all?) His second film? "I am Legend" starring Will Smith as one of the few survivors of a worldwide pandemic now fighting against vampire-like creatures to stay alive. His third film? "Water for Elephants". I then understood why I didn't recognize the director. His first two films ("Legend" is the better of the two) are so different from his newest. With the exception of a couple of landscapes created with CGI, I would venture to guess that 99% of "Elephants" is special effects free. The opposite is true of "Constantine" and "Legend", both of which are chock-a-block with CGI. In "Elephants", Lawrence doesn't have any special effects to deal with, so he is able to concentrate his time and attention on the characters, creating a rich, interesting, visual film.The film begins with Old Jacob (Hal Holbrook) wandering into a modern traveling circus. The manager (Paul Schneider, "Bright Star", "Lars and the Real Girl", TV's "Parks and Recreation") invites him in and they start talking about Banzini Bros. and his early life. We enter this exotic world because of Jacob. And it is a good fit, because he is as young and impressionable as we are; he is our guide to this world and we are meant to see and experience what he does.As Old Jacob begins to tell his story, the narration quickly dissolves to Jacob (Pattinson) narrating. After the death of his parents, Jacob finds he has little left in the world and flees his small town by following the train tracks. Soon, a train approaches and he decides to catch a ride. The next day, Banzine Bros. sets up in a new town and Camel gets him a job shoveling the horse manure. He soon attracts the attention of Auguste, the tyrannical owner and ringmaster of the circus. Auguste orders him thrown off the train. But Jacob quickly convinces him he should have a vet. Ringling Bros. does.I know why Robert Pattinson was cast in this movie. You know why he was cast in this movie. The filmmakers hope his enormous "Twilight" fan base will help make this movie a hit as well. So far, none of the "Twi-hards" have helped any non-"Twilight" movie starring Kristen Stewart or Pattinson become a hit. So it seems a shame they didn't go with Emile Hirsch or Andrew Garfield, two of the other, better actors who were considered for the role.That said, as I watched "Elephants", I was in turn, surprised and perplexed by Pattinson. Initially, his portrayal of Jacob looks and feels interesting and complex. When he learns his parents have died, he is naturally upset. Further complications cause him to run away and literally join the circus. Once there, he is awed by the beauty and the spectacle, he is intimidated and frightened by the danger, he is happy to be working with the animals. But as the story continues, these emotions seem to recycle. Worse, his portrayal of these emotions seems to be the same each time. While I was happy to see him going beyond the glowering teen-angst he has perfected for "Twilight", the use of the same three or four facial expressions proves his limited range as an actor.Reese Witherspoon plays Marlena, Auguste's wife and the star attraction of Banzini Bros. Witherspoon fares much better and portrays a mixture of love and fear of her husband, her stardom and her circus skills. Resembling Jean Harlow, she conveys a mixture of strength and vulnerability any actress in the 30s might have possessed to make them a star. At times, she seems to love Auguste and also to fear his temper. But she has been with him long enough to know how to calm her husband and bring him back to Earth.The morning after Jacob jumps the train, the circus arrives in a new town and sets up. That afternoon, Jacob gets his first glimpse of Marlena's act as she rides her trained horses. And because we are watching through his eyes, it is our first glimpse as well. It is easy to see why he is won over by her beauty as well as the beauty of her act; it is hard to deny the majesty of trained horses moving in harmony. When something happens to the lead horse, Jacob and Marlena are forced to work closely together. And Marlena seems drawn to Jacob because he is so different from Auguste. Jacob is drawn to Marlena because of her maturity and exotic nature.Auguste juggles a lot of responsibility but he also knows he has to rule his kingdom with an iron fist. At times, Auguste is extremely charming and at others, dangerous and menacing. It might seem like he is schizophrenic, but we recognize these different sides of his personality appear as needed, in response to a situation. Waltz is perfect as Auguste. He always seems a little troubled, a little pensive, so when he suddenly turns on the charm, he does so with an underlying sense of danger. One side of his personality never disappears in favor of another and this helps his character seem more dangerous and unsettling.As soon as Jacob enters the picture and convinces Auguste to hire him as the circus vet, Auguste seems a little unsettled, a little less sure of himself. He quickly demonstrates his power by instructing Jacob to do something he doesn't want to do. When Jacob goes against his wishes, his anger surfaces. Later, when Auguste feels Marlena has been threatened, he takes out his aggression on an unsuspecting animal. This is an extremely difficult moment to watch, but it also helps illustrate how dangerous he is. If he is willing to do this to an animal, something that cost him money, and can generate revenue, how will he treat Jacob is he feels threatened by him? Jacob and, for that matter, many of the circus employees, are more expendable than the animals.It is through Jacob that we also witness the examples of how hard this life is. Auguste frequently has money problems. If he feels his employees are becoming too angry about not being paid, he instructs his henchmen to 'red line' some of the more expendable roustabouts. They are basically thrown off the train, in the middle of the night, while it is still moving. And there aren't a lot of feather beds lining the ground along the tracks. When this happens, news spreads and the protests are usually cut off.As the relationship between Jacob and Marlena grows, Auguste recognizes he is losing his love. Instead of banishing Jacob, he brings them closer together, insisting Jacob join them for dinner of many occasions. This helps him keep a more watchful eye on them but also causes his jealous nature to surface much more quickly.Auguste finds an elephant for sale and buys Rosie for Marlena. If she can ride a trained horse, she can ride a trained elephant. And he becomes glassy-eyed at the anticipated revenue. But Jacob and Auguste have different ideas about how to train the new addition and the ringmaster hands the vet a prod with a sharp hook on the end. Auguste is only too willing to demonstrate the tool's use leading Marlena and Jacob to back away in horror.Hal Holbrook plays Old Jacob and his moments at the beginning and end of the film add poignancy making the story a little more touching."Elephants" illustrates the best and worst of circus life, showing the romantic vision of why so many would 'run away and join the circus'. Shortly after Auguste hires Jacob, he leads the young man to the roof of the train and they walk across the top of many cars. Then, Lawrence shows us a wide shot of the train traveling down a curved track through a lush countryside and a small town. A river winds through and the moon shines down. This shot is really beautiful (and no doubt created with CGI) and helps to establish the romantic vision of living such a life.The attention to detail carries through to the design of the train cars. Auguste and Marlena travel in an opulent, red velvet lined car while others travel according to their importance.Old-fashioned storytelling, great visual style and some memorable performances all help to make "Water for Elephants" a very good film.

emro1972 2012-05-12 19:19:37

Praise for Film-makers.

"Water For Elephants" is Hollywood at the top of its game. I haven'tread the novel by Sara Gruen, but after watching this two hour longspectacle, I will take time to read it soon.There is not one fault that I can find with the film. From the openingscenes to the closing credits, it had me hooked with its tale of loss,hardship, camaraderie, greed, hope, tragedy and ultimately love.The acting by all concerned, particularly the leads, is exceptionalwith some Oscar worthy performances here. For any doubters, RobertPattinson proves his worth admirably and Christoph Waltz will havetruly established himself as A-list. Reese Witherspoon is very gracefulas the centre of the attention of the two men.The costumes and the sets are appropriate for the period and thecinematography is beautiful, making you feel like you are there amongstthe magic and chaos of the circus in 1931.The array of performers, and the animals too, take centre stage fromtime to time, bringing light relief in some scenes and stirring moreheart rending emotions in others.The film does not shy away from the problems of the Great Depressionand the suffering of the many so that the few can profit.Overall, "Water For Elephants" harks back to a Golden Age of Hollywoodwhen films stayed in your thoughts and emotions long after you left thecinema. This is a very worthwhile effort indeed.

mitch_e33 2012-05-12 17:15:26

A lovely surprise.

Based on the bestseller book of the same name by Sara Gruen, 'Water forElephants' (2011), tells the tale of young Jacob Jankowski (RobertPattinson), a veterinarian student sitting his final exams upon hearingthe news of his parents death. Set during the 1930's, during thedepression era in the United States, Jacob is forced to give up hiscourse and leave home. Eventually joining a traveling circus run byAugust Rosenbluth (Christoph Waltz), Jacob works as the circus vet whenthe circus acquires its new 'star attraction' Rosie the Elephant.During this time Jacob meets August's wife Marlena (Reese Witherspoon)and the two soon forge a close relationship. I went into this film with fairly average expectations, but by the endit had completely skyrocketed above those expectations. There is somuch to love about this film, the cinematography is excellent, theromantic story between the 3 is a fairly typical love story but theperformances by the 3 leads lifts the script to its full potential.There is no Edward in Robert's performance (something I was concernedabout before going into the film), Reese is stunning and slick as theendearing Marlena, and Christoph Waltz once again reminds us how indebt Hollywood is to Quentin Tarantino for bringing him to mainstreamaudiences, as the steadfast and brutal circus boss. Perhaps the only criticisms I could give was the length of the film asI felt it could have gone for 20 minutes less and still had the sameimpact, but ironically, the last few scenes felt slightly rushed andtime that was spent during the middle of the film could have been usedto further emphasis on the closing scenes. But overall, 'Water for Elephants' is defiantly a triumph, and much ofthe credit should go to the outstanding cast for rising above whatcould have been a cheesy script.

Happy Camper 2012-05-11 00:51:15

Refreshing and Enjoyable

This movie is fresh and a welcomed change from all of the special effects currently incorporated in the latest movies. I loved the period clothing, props and lifestyles. It was authentic and convincing. The acting was very good. Christof was fantastic. Reese and Rob gave very realistic perfromances. Rob was the eyes and heart of the movie. Through his eyes we saw the events as they unfolded. Hal Holbrook did an amazing job of protraying an old Jacob. He was excellent in his role. This overall a very watchable and enjoyable movie. Both men and women will enjoy this story, which includes love and romance, fights, rage, suspense and a lot more. I also think all ages will enjoy this movie. Go see it!

2012-05-10 04:54:44

disappointing

This review is from: Water For Elephants (Amazon Instant Video) Very disappointing, not a very good chick flick if my wife doesn't like it. I don't even have the energy to write more.