Water For Elephants
Circus. A whisper of that word and almost immediately, our minds fall back into those fleeting childhood memories that Disney has painted for us. Though we don’t have Mickey Mouse prancing around other singing animals in the circus, in this motion picture, the vivid scene of a circus is very much similar. Trained wild animals in cages, eager crowds bustling through to get front row seats and of course, what’s a circus without the ridiculously enormous white tent.
This, my dear readers, is the setting of the struggles of a young man attempting to rebuild his life, a love story, and an inspiring sense of camaraderie.
We’re pulled into the movie by a scene in which two circus workers find a rather distraught old man wandering into the circus at night. While attempting to send the old man back to his retirement home, the elderly proudly mentions of his days in the infamous circus incidents of all time. Now this is where ol’ Jacob Jankowski (Hal Holbrook) has caught the attention of one intrigued worker. And so we spiral deep into Jacob’s past, a flashback no less. Dear Holbrook’s voice fades out as the scene changes and we hear the sweet, alluring voice of Edward Cullen. Oh right. Wrong movie. I mean, Mr. Robert Pattinson.
Set in 1931, young Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson) finds his dream of becoming a Cornell graduate and achieving that diploma in veterinary, shattered when both his parents died in a car accident, leaving Jacob homeless and in debt. Rob Patz’s performance in this motion picture deserves a well rounded applause as he managed to shed Edward Cullen’s perfect demeanor and take on the role of a broken yet bold young man. Hard on the exterior but an emotional wreck on the interior. Every creased eyebrow and sad smirk portrayed by Rob proved that he’s here to stay. Similar to Holbrook in his heyday, Rob brought a sullen manner to the character - perfectly fitting for an overnight orphan who so recently derailed from his intended life path.
After setting off and ultimately finding himself in, none other than a circus, which really isn’t a bad place to be for an aspiring veterinarian, animals are crawling all over, no pun intended. It is here that we are introduced to Marlena Rosenbluth (Reese Witherspoon). Eyes captivated by the beautiful woman, Jacob falls in love with Marlena, with “Love at first sight” at its best. Alas, if only she wasn’t the wife of August (Christoph Waltz). The plot plays out quite beautifully, each scene and character telling its own story. We learn later that Rosie, the heart and soul of this film, is brought in as the new act for Marlena in the circus. Yes, Rosie is an elephant. The bond formed between Jacob and Rosie as he begins to train her is endearing and projects Rosie as a scene stealer. Typically, Marlena and Jacob declare their love for one another and obviously August isn’t too happy about it. Rage and drama ensue and well, you’ll never guess who finally eliminated August.
Reese smoldered under Rodrigo Prieto’s camera. Her portrayal of the dutiful yet seemingly unhappy wife to Waltz was spot on. Even so, much is left to be desired for the chemistry between the two lead characters. Both Rob and Reese had left a thundering impact onscreen- individually. The casting of Reese as Marlena still baffles me. Age plays a factor but ultimately, the lack of passion between Pattinson and Witherspoon inevitably weighed down the movie.
Nevertheless, what made “Water for Elephants” absolutely captivating was the third character, reminding us why Christoph Waltz deserved his supporting actor Oscar for “Inglorious Basterds”. Waltz once again plays a violent and sadistic man who hides under the guise of a calm and compassionate facade. With such character flowing through every well-delivered line, there are even instances where you would actually feel sympathy for Waltz.
Much applause goes to the director, Francis Lawrence who managed to rise up to the challenge even though “Water for Elephants” seemed like such a far cry from “I Am Legend” and “Constantine”. He handles the real world material quite deftly, while capturing all the magic and romanticism that are strung along with it.
All in all, “Water for Elephants” is definitely a movie for all the hopeless romantics out there. The film is tasteful - of its old school Hollywood romance and melodramatic scene. Investing RM 13 to watch this in the cinema won’t harm anyone and it’s completely worth it. Besides, Rob Patz and his signature smolder are headlining it, what more could you ask for?
BY STEFFI NUR AFREENA
This, my dear readers, is the setting of the struggles of a young man attempting to rebuild his life, a love story, and an inspiring sense of camaraderie.
We’re pulled into the movie by a scene in which two circus workers find a rather distraught old man wandering into the circus at night. While attempting to send the old man back to his retirement home, the elderly proudly mentions of his days in the infamous circus incidents of all time. Now this is where ol’ Jacob Jankowski (Hal Holbrook) has caught the attention of one intrigued worker. And so we spiral deep into Jacob’s past, a flashback no less. Dear Holbrook’s voice fades out as the scene changes and we hear the sweet, alluring voice of Edward Cullen. Oh right. Wrong movie. I mean, Mr. Robert Pattinson.
Set in 1931, young Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson) finds his dream of becoming a Cornell graduate and achieving that diploma in veterinary, shattered when both his parents died in a car accident, leaving Jacob homeless and in debt. Rob Patz’s performance in this motion picture deserves a well rounded applause as he managed to shed Edward Cullen’s perfect demeanor and take on the role of a broken yet bold young man. Hard on the exterior but an emotional wreck on the interior. Every creased eyebrow and sad smirk portrayed by Rob proved that he’s here to stay. Similar to Holbrook in his heyday, Rob brought a sullen manner to the character - perfectly fitting for an overnight orphan who so recently derailed from his intended life path.
After setting off and ultimately finding himself in, none other than a circus, which really isn’t a bad place to be for an aspiring veterinarian, animals are crawling all over, no pun intended. It is here that we are introduced to Marlena Rosenbluth (Reese Witherspoon). Eyes captivated by the beautiful woman, Jacob falls in love with Marlena, with “Love at first sight” at its best. Alas, if only she wasn’t the wife of August (Christoph Waltz). The plot plays out quite beautifully, each scene and character telling its own story. We learn later that Rosie, the heart and soul of this film, is brought in as the new act for Marlena in the circus. Yes, Rosie is an elephant. The bond formed between Jacob and Rosie as he begins to train her is endearing and projects Rosie as a scene stealer. Typically, Marlena and Jacob declare their love for one another and obviously August isn’t too happy about it. Rage and drama ensue and well, you’ll never guess who finally eliminated August.
Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon in a scene from “Water For Elephants”
Reese smoldered under Rodrigo Prieto’s camera. Her portrayal of the dutiful yet seemingly unhappy wife to Waltz was spot on. Even so, much is left to be desired for the chemistry between the two lead characters. Both Rob and Reese had left a thundering impact onscreen- individually. The casting of Reese as Marlena still baffles me. Age plays a factor but ultimately, the lack of passion between Pattinson and Witherspoon inevitably weighed down the movie.
Nevertheless, what made “Water for Elephants” absolutely captivating was the third character, reminding us why Christoph Waltz deserved his supporting actor Oscar for “Inglorious Basterds”. Waltz once again plays a violent and sadistic man who hides under the guise of a calm and compassionate facade. With such character flowing through every well-delivered line, there are even instances where you would actually feel sympathy for Waltz.
Much applause goes to the director, Francis Lawrence who managed to rise up to the challenge even though “Water for Elephants” seemed like such a far cry from “I Am Legend” and “Constantine”. He handles the real world material quite deftly, while capturing all the magic and romanticism that are strung along with it.
All in all, “Water for Elephants” is definitely a movie for all the hopeless romantics out there. The film is tasteful - of its old school Hollywood romance and melodramatic scene. Investing RM 13 to watch this in the cinema won’t harm anyone and it’s completely worth it. Besides, Rob Patz and his signature smolder are headlining it, what more could you ask for?
BY STEFFI NUR AFREENA
