I got round to seeing the film recently, so I thought I’d give it a brief review. Admittedly, I haven’t read any of the books since I was a small child, so my reference points for those will probably be a bit vague.
Well, I know about the name changes. I think most people know about those. It’s probably best not to have kids named Dick and Fanny in a 21st century film adaption. Even if the film’s target audience don’t understand the meaning of those words, they’d probs find out soon enough, what with that new-fangled technology. Speaking of which, technology is what the film lightly rallies against as a couple of hippie-ish parents move away from the big city to appreciate the joys of nature. While the kids aren’t on board at first, clutching their electronic devices close, they soon discover the magic of the outdoors when they go and visit the magic faraway tree, making some magical friends along the way.
Initially I thought this was directed by Paul King, as it’s got some nice wholesome vibes running through its DNA. The story was created by Simon Farnaby, the creator of the ursine masterpiece that is Paddington 2, so that’s probably why. And Simon Farnaby pops up here in typically hilarious form as a farmer, getting in a damn fine ‘wi-fi’ gag which you’ve probably seen in the trailer already. It’s got a nice mix of humour that’s fun for adults and children alike, but particularly the younger folk. It’s always great going to experience film on the big screen, and it was fun watching the joint alongside kids jumping up and kicking the cinema seats while not having to deal with any of the chicanery myself.
The film is given its beating heart by its two earnest leads, with Claire Foy and particularly Andrew Garfield making a big impression as enthusiastic parents to their initially unenthusiastic children. Whether it’s guitar playing, going on the spinning machine to generate electricity or having a tomato and Italian heritage obsession, Garfield sets out a nice hippie archetype for all to enjoy. I saw another review refer to him as a manic pixie dream boy, which seems pretty appropriate. Balancing the scales in the cinematic world, Andrew? I’ll go for that. Particularly in the context of that Amelia Dimoldenberg chicken shop date. If you know (and you should know), then you know.