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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Around the World in 80 Days
By Craig Younkin Published July 2, 2004
US Release: June 16, 2004
Directed by: Frank Coraci
Starring: Jackie Chan , Steve Coogan , Cécile De France , Jim Broadbent
PG
Running Time: 120 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $24,004,000
Directed by: Frank Coraci
Starring: Jackie Chan , Steve Coogan , Cécile De France , Jim Broadbent
PG
Running Time: 120 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $24,004,000
C
There is very little here that will have anyone over the age of 10 enthused.
Remaking Around the World in 80 Days is one of those really bad ideas that somehow manages to be just forgettable rather than excruciatingly awful. Young people know very little about the original film and all I knew about it going in was that it was known for some key cameo appearances. It doesn't seem like it had much to offer, and if this new film is any indication that's probably true.
This new film stars British comedian Steve Coogan as Phileas Fogg, a scientist criticized by the ministry of science for actually practicing science. If you?re looking for something wittier than that, look for another movie. A bet is made between Fogg and the minister of science (Jim Broadbent) on whether or not he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days, and eager to prove his point Fogg accepts the challenge.
Complicating things is Fogg's partner, a China man who claims to be a French valet named Passepartout (Jackie Chan). Passepartout has stolen a sacred Buddha from the British bank in the hopes of returning it to his village, and Fogg's trip around the world is the perfect way in which to do it; only they are being followed by the Chinese mafia, who want the Buddha back as well.
Not thinking too much about the plot is the best way to approach this film, but there is very little here that will have anyone over the age of 10 enthused. Most of the jokes center around the butt and groin area, and the cameo appearances by people like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rob Schneider, and Owen and Luke Wilson just come off as silly rather than funny.
Jackie Chan is a great physical comedian and one of the most exciting fighters in movies today, but this movie also requires him to act, something that he sadly needs to work on. And Steve Coogan is another funny guy, only unlike Owen Wilson or Chris Tucker he is forced to play an uninteresting buffoon. Both Coogan and Chan have their moments here, but neither manages to lift the material; Broadbent comes off the best, playing the ministry's stuffy chairman. Around the World in 80 Days is harmless for children but instantly forgettable for adults.
This new film stars British comedian Steve Coogan as Phileas Fogg, a scientist criticized by the ministry of science for actually practicing science. If you?re looking for something wittier than that, look for another movie. A bet is made between Fogg and the minister of science (Jim Broadbent) on whether or not he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days, and eager to prove his point Fogg accepts the challenge.
Complicating things is Fogg's partner, a China man who claims to be a French valet named Passepartout (Jackie Chan). Passepartout has stolen a sacred Buddha from the British bank in the hopes of returning it to his village, and Fogg's trip around the world is the perfect way in which to do it; only they are being followed by the Chinese mafia, who want the Buddha back as well.
Not thinking too much about the plot is the best way to approach this film, but there is very little here that will have anyone over the age of 10 enthused. Most of the jokes center around the butt and groin area, and the cameo appearances by people like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rob Schneider, and Owen and Luke Wilson just come off as silly rather than funny.
Jackie Chan is a great physical comedian and one of the most exciting fighters in movies today, but this movie also requires him to act, something that he sadly needs to work on. And Steve Coogan is another funny guy, only unlike Owen Wilson or Chris Tucker he is forced to play an uninteresting buffoon. Both Coogan and Chan have their moments here, but neither manages to lift the material; Broadbent comes off the best, playing the ministry's stuffy chairman. Around the World in 80 Days is harmless for children but instantly forgettable for adults.
Craig's Grade: C
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
'Around...80 Days' Articles
- Gareth's review C+
June 17, 2004 Disney was aiming for a family film and this may disappoint many of Chan?s hardcore fans, as he is very restrained. -- Gareth Von Kallenbach
