ashdoc
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2010
- Messages
- 2,980
- Likes
- 3,682
To be honest the only thing that prevents this film from being a borefest is the fact that the film is based on real happenings , and the acceptance of that fact that real happenings cannot be made to look as interesting as fiction . Of course , the moment I realised while watching the film that it is based on real exploration I knew that no grand discovery of any ancient civilisation was going to be made in the movie because I had heard of no such discovery in this period . But in the earlier part of the film a person who goes into the theatre without knowing anything about the movie may feel that some epically grand discovery of some ancient civilisation is going to be made in the amazon region of the south american country of Bolivia by the end of the movie .
Charlie Hunnam plays Percy Fawcett---a soldier who is sent to that region to map the border between Bolivia and Brazil . Against orders , he and a few companions undertake a perilous journey deep into the amazon region . Here they are faced many difficulties like with deep forests , hostile natives who shower arrows on them , wild animals like poisonous snakes and black panthers , and strong currents in the river that threaten to sink their raft . The photography of the dense green forest is beautiful and the native americans look all too authentically real , and so do the dangers of the jungle .
But after all the dangers the discovery of a few pieces of pottery in the jungle does not enthuse the viewer of the movie , however interesting it may be from an archaeological point of view . Another point I thought the director missed was showing how adventurous it can be to stay in the jungle in the night . I have lived in the jungle , and believe me---while it is beautiful during the day it is terrifying in the middle of the night . The sounds of jungle give you jitters in the dark .
When Fawcett returns he vows to go back to discover what he feels is a lost civilisation , and he is faced with some ridicule . But biologist James Murray ( played by Angus Macfadyen ) agrees to come to a second expedition . Fawcett's wife Nina ( Played by Sienna Miller ) wants to come too as she dispairs of living years away from her husband , but Fawcett does not allow that . But Murray cannot face the rigours of the jungle and the expedition ends with acrimony .
The first world war prevents a third expedition from being launched , but by this time the Fawcett family has developed an obsession for discovery of lost civilisations in the amazon that can be described only as crazed . So after the war a third expedition is launched . But by this time the movie was drifting into nothingness ; nothing was really happening . And Fawcett and his son never came back....What happened to them has only been guessed by the director , or so I guess....But Nina lives on hope that they are still living among the tribals in the wild , and that hope gives her courage to live on....
The acting by everyone is good , and more so by Charlie Hunnam . Sienna Miller looks really attractive . Colours of the movie are good , and the background music is haunting . But the end result of all the explorations is underwhelming at least to a lay viewer like myself .
Verdict---Okay .
Two stars .
Charlie Hunnam plays Percy Fawcett---a soldier who is sent to that region to map the border between Bolivia and Brazil . Against orders , he and a few companions undertake a perilous journey deep into the amazon region . Here they are faced many difficulties like with deep forests , hostile natives who shower arrows on them , wild animals like poisonous snakes and black panthers , and strong currents in the river that threaten to sink their raft . The photography of the dense green forest is beautiful and the native americans look all too authentically real , and so do the dangers of the jungle .
But after all the dangers the discovery of a few pieces of pottery in the jungle does not enthuse the viewer of the movie , however interesting it may be from an archaeological point of view . Another point I thought the director missed was showing how adventurous it can be to stay in the jungle in the night . I have lived in the jungle , and believe me---while it is beautiful during the day it is terrifying in the middle of the night . The sounds of jungle give you jitters in the dark .
When Fawcett returns he vows to go back to discover what he feels is a lost civilisation , and he is faced with some ridicule . But biologist James Murray ( played by Angus Macfadyen ) agrees to come to a second expedition . Fawcett's wife Nina ( Played by Sienna Miller ) wants to come too as she dispairs of living years away from her husband , but Fawcett does not allow that . But Murray cannot face the rigours of the jungle and the expedition ends with acrimony .
The first world war prevents a third expedition from being launched , but by this time the Fawcett family has developed an obsession for discovery of lost civilisations in the amazon that can be described only as crazed . So after the war a third expedition is launched . But by this time the movie was drifting into nothingness ; nothing was really happening . And Fawcett and his son never came back....What happened to them has only been guessed by the director , or so I guess....But Nina lives on hope that they are still living among the tribals in the wild , and that hope gives her courage to live on....
The acting by everyone is good , and more so by Charlie Hunnam . Sienna Miller looks really attractive . Colours of the movie are good , and the background music is haunting . But the end result of all the explorations is underwhelming at least to a lay viewer like myself .
Verdict---Okay .
Two stars .
