Voyage of the Unicorn
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Movie Reviews of Voyage of the Unicorn
Movie Review: Whole family loved it!!
Summary: 5 Stars
We first watched this movie from Netflix and by the end of the movie both my husband and our 7 year old son said we have to buy this movie. I loved the way the story incorporates a lot of the old myths and folklore. We found it wonderfully entertaining and just loved the banner the ship sails under!Movie Review: Bon Voyage!
Summary: 5 Stars
My daughter loves this movie! When I saw it was available, I immediately ordered it. My daughter has watched it repeatedly since it arrived with great satisfaction. Thank you for an outstanding product in great condition.
Movie Review: Finally!!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's about time this wonderful movie was released on DVD. It may be cheesy to some people, but my whole family loves it. Anyone who loves fantasy movies should consider adding this movie to their collection.Movie Review: Fun fantasy for the whole family
Summary: 4 Stars
I started watching this nearly 3 hour film not knowing what to expect. Would it be some generic fantasy adventure with a lot of exploration and a bunch of random encounters, all culminating in a big war scene at the end? That seems to be the formula these days, and I wasn't looking forward to seeing the same formula done again unless it was done with interesting twists.
What I got was a surprisingly different take on the fantasy adventure genre from what I was used to.
"Voyage of the Unicorn" doesn't waste time setting things up. Early in the film, Goblins storm a family's home with the intent to capture them. The father, Alan, and daughters Miranda and Cassie, find a ship in their hometown being piloted by an elf and a drawf, and end up using it to magically escape to same fantasy land - the very same one their pursuers had come from. Before long, they learn that they are heroes foretold of in a prophecy, and it is up to them to prevent the goblins from storming the "real world" and taking it over. The family is naturally not too happy about this, but they're told that even if the prophecy isn't true, they'll have to stop the goblins anyway or risk having to hide from them their entire lives. After all, the goblins believe in the prophecy, and they're not happy about what it means for them.
There are a number of fairly original ideas in this movie. For example, ever notice how often it is that you see a kids' movie where the kids have to save the world without any adult help? Here, however, the father comes along with his daughters and is actively involved all throughout the adventure. Of course, as is to be expected, the kids have their share of moments of heroism, but the family works together throughout the movie, and Alan gets his chance to shine.
The heroes end up encountering several well-known creatures of myth during their journey, such as a sphinx, a minotaur, and Medusa, and actually manage to convert some of them into allies who join them. Even with this small army of now-friendly creatures, the family is not always able to directly fight off most of their threats, and they end up having to deal with them in other ways. There are quite a few moments where they do fight, but mostly they have to sneak around or use trickery on their quest. A family of three plus a handful of mythological creatures do not an army make, and so there's plenty of moments where the heroes need to proceed cautiously or use their wits.
Being a fairly light-hearted story, it does get rather, dare I say, corny at times. Recruiting Medusa, complete with shades designed to prevent her eyes from turning others to stone, into the party is the sort of thing you'd never see in a story that took itself completely seriously. Indeed, there are a number of silly moments and bits of character humor, but there are also moments where the story takes itself completely seriously. The initial encounter with Medusa looked downright nerve-wracking, as Alan, sweating profusely, kept his eyes completely closed and tried not to look at Medusa, while his two daughters, blindfolded, cried their eyes out at their potential fate.
For a low budget, made-for-TV film, the sets and costumes are pretty well designed. The trolls look like what you'd expect them to, Medusa is exceptionally well-done, and all the locations look really nice. I was impressed many times with how everything looked, leaving me to wonder, "this is made for TV?" It may not be heavy on the CGI, but sometimes good old fashioned set building is what works best and is most convincing.
Characterization is pretty good as well for such a light story, but unfortunately, the dialog stumbles at times. We get some platitudes on how important it is to believe (in what exactly? Fairy tales?), and have faith in miracles. This comes out of the kids' mouths sometimes, I might add. Most of the time the dialog is good, but at times it gets a bit stiff, particularly when the film's "message" is being delivered.
Overall, though, I liked "Voyage of the Unicorn". The light mood makes the fantastical proceedings easier to digest, and the story is pretty fun. While some standard fantasy/adventure cliches are used, others are avoided, or handled differently. It's a refreshingly different story, and quite impressive that it was done on a made-for-TV budget.
Movie Review: Wonderful Movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I saw this movie before I read The Voyage of the Basset. Usually if I see the movie first and like it then I won't really mind if the adaptation is off. If you are a die-hard adaptation purist then I do not recommend this movie. However if you've never read the book I suggest watching the movie and then reading it. There are quite a number of differences.
I thought the costumes and acting were wonderful. I loved the sets and special effects (but I'm easily pleased with special effects). The one part in the movie I cannot stand is the infamous "Sea Serpant Dance" I was all set for the movie to spiral into some crazy drug-induced fantasy after that but luckily it did not.
If you love fantasy I highly recommend this movie and the book. This is a very long movie though so the fantasy may not keep kid's attention that long.