Robinson Crusoe

At the risk of repeating what others have already written, this movie is not the same "Robinson Crusoe" that Daniel Dafoe wrote. While some might question whether this matters, I think it is fair, at the very least, to complain that it falsely presents itself as being something it isn't. I rented this movie to see an adaptation of Dafoe's novel, which this isn't. Lest I leave the impression that the film's "artistic license" is my only complaint, though, I should mention that this isn't a very good movie by any measure. I guess they tried to punch up the book by adding romance, conflict, and action scenes that could best be described as a curious mix of the A Team and MacGyver. Suffice to say, there are better ways for viewers to spend their time and money. 3 out of 10.

When will Hollywood learn to be faithful to timeless classics. The producers of this hap-hazard adaptation of the timeless classic had the audacity to include references to Daniel Defoe in both the title and the film itself - why then did they not stay true to his classic story?

From the very first to the very last, this films strays so far from the novel that i am surprised they can even retain the title.

Stick to the book, or any of the other adaptations of the tale - but stay well clear of this version.

I believe that the only way to enjoy this version is to watch it without ever reading the novel - but even then that's quite a stretch.

I read the book many years ago and liked it. I was looking forward to seeing the movie version. I was very disappointed that the movie was so much different than the book. I guess the movie makers decided there wasn't enough action in the book so they added things (like defending the island against the natives and the fight at the end) that were not written by Defoe. I would have liked it better if they had just stuck closer to the original and concentrated on the details of how he survived on the island.

And how is it. It is good. The story, about friendship and loneliness and also society as it was then, is good of course even if it is slightly modified. But I do not care if it is, for the actors are good and the filmmaking is too. I especially like William Takaku (Friday). He is very good and plays his role perfectly and he is of course in the best scenes of the movie, which actually doesn't start until Crusoe meets Friday. Before that meeting there are some scenes of lesser quality. But there are far more good or very good scenes, favourite scenes are: the burial, the readying of the boat, the last fight scene on the island, the last shot plus the afterwards inserted text and especially the DUEL at the end.

7 out of 10

This is a condensed (only 90 minutes!) film version of the ageless classic, with lots of modifications though. I give kudos to the impeccable work of the actors, and directing and editing seem to work equally well for a very nice entertainment experience.

However, as soon as I start comparing this version to the original book, I feel an immense let-down as so many things have been changed (I won't give a list because it would be just way too long). I liked the look of Robinson's island a lot, and all the buildings and mechanical contraptions were nicely designed. But for the most part, the plot was just *too* smooth, leaving out most of the meditative moments and the setbacks that the "original" Robinson experiences in the book. For such a compact film version of the long book, some cuts had to be made, though.

I won't give away the ending, but it was a) way too different from the book and b) way too brief, it even felt forced to some degree. There's lots of nice scenery, however. So there are much worse ways to kill off 90 minutes...