Around the World in 80 Days (2004)

Disney | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Daniel Pulliam

This updated version of “Around The World In 80 Days” stars Steve Coogan as the irrepressible Phileas Fogg, an inventor whose forward thinking and ingenuity have served only to make his name a joke amongst the scientific community of his day. Also joining the journey is Passepartout (Jackie Chan in an enjoyable if pat role as the aforementioned inventor’s reluctant but lovable partner in scientific crime. The daring duo encounter many obstacles and adventures on their trip back to London, escaping dire peril and certain destruction at every turn, mixing spectacle with hilarity pound for pound. All the elements are here for a terrific family film, complete with an even mix of satirical in-jokes that the adults will stick around for and the obligatory slapstick banter that will have the kids rolling in the aisles. Why, then, does the film feel so cheap and by-the-numbers? There are just enough moments of genuine heart and soul in the film that it makes the absence of that soul all the more heartbreaking throughout most of the rest of the picture. Make no mistake, I did enjoy this film, but only insofar as it is harmless, kid-friendly entertainment that will mildly entertain adults. Such a rare combination as that has got to count for something.

One of the pitfalls of creating a filmmaking atmosphere in which anything is possible is the lack of awe generated by most movies made these days. While its heart may be in the right place, I found the mixture of comedy, action, family entertainment and adventure to be too amateurishly ambitious for its own good. Far too many scenes that have real promise quickly disintegrate into heavy-handed doses of stupidity to sell the film to younger viewers. I have no problem with an out-and-out children’s film per se, but the problem here lies in the film’s attempt to meld this goofiness with a tongue-in-cheek satirical approach to the lead character and many drawn out scenes that only serve to speak over the heads of the film’s target audience or bore them with needlessly lengthy segues into absurdity. For every joke that is delivered perfectly (just enough to give us that momentary chuckle and get under our skin), there are three others that come off as either poorly executed, irritatingly childish, or merely derivative of other films. In effect, the film is too smart to be dismissed, and yet it’s too obnoxious to be taken seriously. It simply doesn’t know what it wants to be. With such potential and high production values, it’s a shame they couldn’t feel this movie out a bit more during the editing process.

The truly disappointing aspect to all this is that just a slight nudge one way or the other would have cemented “Around The World In 80 Days” as a straightforward family film or, preferably, a film adults would love as much as their children. As is, it is neither, and as much as I would love to highly recommend a film that does all it can to be harmless and endearing, it just didn’t work for me on the levels it should have. Not all is lost, however. I did find the set pieces to be quite visionary, albeit a bit out of place given the setting. Steve Coogan does an excellent job playing his character’s eccentricities to the hilt, and Chan is as reliable as always to be charming and entertaining. I’m not sure how well the movie will work for children, as most of the film is comprised of short jaunts between martial arts sequences. Then again, the action, though sometimes a bit much, is relatively tame and shouldn’t cause parents any concern. My main quibble with the proceedings is that they play out much too long. True, the film does have a lot of ground to cover, but this is, at its core, a children’s movie, and as such it should have been trimmed a bit more so as to better hold it’s audience’s attention. If you’re looking for quality filmmaking, stay away. This is fluff, pure and simple. If you want something your kids can watch and you can tolerate watching with them without checking your watch (too many times), then you’ve come to the right place.

There’s something about this video presentation that just doesn’t hit me like it should. Don’t get me wrong, this is an impressive DVD presentation to be sure, but it simply lacks that extra tinge of clarity that graces the video of demo discs. There’s a three dimensional quality that, for all the smoothness in this transfer, simply isn’t there. On the plus side, the print used is absolutely stunning, with no blemishes or artifacts anywhere to be found in the film. The colors are striking as well, with no bleeding issues to distract. Black levels are spot-on and compression issues are non-existent. Best of all, no edge enhancement seems to have been employed on this release, for a very realistic level of small object detail and depth. As I mentioned, however, the video simply isn’t as pristine as it could be. As good as it is, it is just a tad soft throughout and lacks that finely articulated crispness that comes on only the best transfers. A great presentation on the whole, however, just shy of the top rating.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track on “Around The World In 80 Days” is excellent. Right from the opening credits, it’s clear that this is going to be an engaging, involving soundtrack, and as the film progresses, the audio does not disappoint. There is a lot going on in this film, and the Dolby track is more than up to the task of presenting us with an exceptional aural experience all the way through. Surrounds are used frequently and effectively, as is the .1 LFE channel, with room-rumbling results. I was very impressed by this audio presentation, and fans of the film will not leave unsatisfied. Dialogue is crisp and clean and anchored firmly in the center channel. All in all, a great job here by Buena Vista.

The main extra on the disc is the 20-minute “Discovering Around The World In 80 Days” behind the scenes featurette. This is a nice little extra, although it comes across as little more than a fluff piece designed to promote the film rather than a real look at the filmmaking process. There’s nothing too revelatory here, but it’s worth a look if you’re a fan of the film. Also included is the rather useless “Around The World Of Jackie Chan” featurette, which runs only slightly longer than 6 minutes and does little else but highlight the various martial arts sequences on the film. The “Deleted Scenes” section presents some cute if needless additional scenes (most of which are merely extensions of existing footage. Also included are a music video and a surprisingly entertaining commentary by the director and cast. Frank Coraci is obviously quite taken with his own work here, and it fortunately manifests in nonstop reflection on all aspects of production, set design, locations, etc. Far more information is heard on the commentary track about production than in the featurettes, making it a must-hear for fans.