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Two film versions of Jules Verne classic Around the World in 80 Days have already been made by Hollywood and both have been quite successful. I saw the 1956 version with David Niven and Cantinflas in it and it was just delightful. One wonders why Jackie "kung-fu" Chan should have chosen to make it. At his pace he could do the trip in 40 days. But the sad part is he's taken too many liberties and divested the subject of its real ingredients. The excuse is, "it is also part of the film that if you broaden your horizons and you increase your knowledge of people from different backgrounds, you become a more well-rounded individual." That Jackie Chan uses the trip to visit his native China and his relatives can be forgiven but not the distortion of the story. Passepartout (Jackie Chan) is the valet of Englishman Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan) and should be playing second fiddle to his eccentric British master but here the valet tends to take centre stage and the British hero is reduced to a caricature. As for the romantic interest Monique (Cecile de France), she is neither here nor there as the film is drowned in slapstick, martial arts and undue action, bypassing the essence of the story. The film begins promisingly in Britain when Fogg, after some unsuccessful scientific experiments, takes that famous wager with Lord Kelvin (Jim Broadbent). Fogg is in the dark about his valet's plans regarding the Jade Buddha and the chain of events related to it. It contributes to the action of the film but robs it of much of the British humour associated with it. That the 1956 film won the Best Picture Oscar surely gives one an indication of the popularity of the film in which David Niven gave a stellar performance, ably supported by Cantinflas. This version is a hurried rush around the world with little thought and even less suspense. Director Frank Coraci seems to abide by co-producer Jackie Chan's wishes and reduces the film to farcical proportions. It is a subject that should never have come close to Chan. No, one is not being unduly harsh on Asian cinema, but when one tries to distort the story and hog the limelight, it surely isn't fair. Chan fans will, of course, see this as another Jackie Chan thriller but for others it will be a case of missing the wood for the trees apart from being an insult to that great French futuristic novelist Jules Verne. Avoidable. |
