Bud-16

Why bother with all the gore when you can't produce a story with any suspense to back it up. An utterly brainless film. The entire crew and cast should cannibalise themselves to make sure we won't be inflicted with another sequel.

This film is a sincere portrayal of a Vietnam Vet's struggle to regain some innocence and happiness after the war. It also shows that Winkler, and to a lesser extent Ford, have more than one dimension to their acting, which pleasantly surprised me. Ford shows a vulnerability which is not apparent in any other of his films I have seen.

There are many things to love about this adaptation of the classic adventure novel. The setting is idyllic and photographed beautifully. The characters are optimistic and happy despite their predicament. No modern cynicism amongst these people! They are resourceful and manage to build an inventive and comfortable home among the trees. However there are parts of the film that reveals its age. The men design and build the house and then present it to Mrs Robinson, whose job I imagine was then to clean it and keep it immaculate. Generally, there is little depth to Mrs Robinson's character. She is not allowed to present any ideas to the men about the house or how to defend it. She is only there to smile and scream. Another problem with the film is its mixture of animals. I am no expert but I cannot recall ever learning of a tropical island, somewhere between Europe and PNG that has Asian tigers and African zebras, hyeanas and vultures. (There was a baby elephant, but I am not sure whether it was Asian or African.) I guess it does not matter, but accuracy often reveals a commitment to integrity and the intelligence of the audience. Overall, I enjoyed the film. It filled me with a spirit of adventure. It makes the prospect of being shipwrecked quite attractive.