Mio in the Land of Faraway

I first saw this film when my mother bought it on VHS in a store... I think I was about seven. I loved it from the moment I first watched it, and even now, at nineteen, it's still one of my favorite movies.

Now, I realize the effects aren't that great and the ADR is horrible--but as fairytales go, it's among the best. I found the plot to be better translated to film than that of The Neverending Story (which is one of my favorite books--but not one of my favorite movies), and the music is wonderful. Watching the movie was very reminiscent to reading The Chronicles of Narnia, or in fact reading a British translation of Astrid Lindgren's book.

This is still my favorite of Christian Bale's many roles, and among my favorite Christopher Lee roles (the man has over 700, so it's hard to pick faves sometimes ^_^).

A classic for children and families, I must say. (And coming from a cynical college student, that's saying something!)

The 80s saw a decade of some really good fantasy films, films like NeverEnding Story, Princess Bride, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Legend. Mio in the Land of Faraway is not one of the great fantasy films from a personal standpoint(there are some great ones from other decades too), however it does deserve better recognition than it does. The script can get stilted and childish, not all the special effects are great(for example the floating head is a memorable image, but you need to decide for yourself whether it's for the right reasons) and Timothy Bottoms doesn't have that much to do. It is a very beautiful-looking film though, the photography is simple but sweeping, the costumes are appropriate and there are some special effects that are quite good. But visually it is the lighting and sets that are the real revelations. The lighting is especially good in the darker moments, with the firelight and shadows as said already there is a real sense of creepiness, and the sets are so wondrously constructed with a striking contrast of lush and elegant for Faraway, dark and eerie for the dark moments and drab for Earth. Along with the visuals, the other big standout was the music, a score that is so beautifully soothing on the ears but it also haunts the mind, as any score for a good vs. evil film should do. The story sets itself up carefully and has all the right elements for fantasy and a tale of good vs. evil. There is the bullying angle that is easy to identify with, and the film is successful in drawing the inner child within you into the world that the characters inhabit. From an archetypal view, the characters are familiar to us but they are still engaging enough. The acting is fine, Nick Pickard and particularly Christian Bale are excellent in the lead roles and while one might wish that Christopher Lee were introduced into the film earlier, considering an actor of his calibre, he is an appropriately menacing villain of the piece. To conclude, very nice film, not without areas of improvement but should be better known. Once you look past the flaws and see the many merits there are, and judge the film on its own terms rather than a book vs. film comparison it might help to enjoy it more(mind you, there is emphasis on might to save the risk of ignorance), while it does help you don't necessarily have to be somebody who grew up perceiving it as a lifelong childhood favourite to like Mio in the Land of Faraway. 8/10 Bethany Cox

When I saw this film when I was but a little girl, I loved it. I loved the music (and still do), I loved the characters, everything about it. I re-watched it yesterday (I'm now fourteen), and all I could say was "Meh."

It certainly isn't great, but it still has a feeling to it that I adore. The special effects are shabby, the script is a little off and trite and the lack of logic bothers me. But it's still a nice film that's worth watching. But if you can, watch the Swedish dub. It makes it more logical then.

I have no idea why previous comment said that this movie is bad, bad, bad... I believe it has a lot better plot then lots of late American kids movies. I absolutely love this movie. I have seen it when I was just a teenager and now I have found it again. I used to relate myself to it and imagine that the Spirit will someday come for me too... What an imaginative kid I was!!! Nowadays I have two kids myself and am sure they will enjoy watching it too.

I couldn't believe that it was so expensive to purchase since it is out of print for 5 years, but my husband had spoiled me this Christmas, after hearing my nostalgic story. :)

But I haven't been able to find it since I was about ten years old, which was eight years ago. Still, I remember that I was awed by the invisibility cloak, have the "Mio, my Mio" tune stuck in my head now in then - the one that gets played on the pipes sticks there too at times - and frightened by the ending battle scene. and children being turned to crows, and the bread, and...ok, I'm going to stop before I give away too many things. A great movie to see if you ever find it.