I watched the original Storm Boy as a young child. It made quite an impression on me at the time. Even such that to this day I continue to think of all pelicans as Mr Percival.
Remaking a much loved film will always invite comparisons with the original. One would hope that the remake could add something new and adapt the story to reflect contemporary values and events. This remake attempts to do those things, but ultimately falls flat.
First, I should acknowledge that Finn Little does a superb job acting as Storm Boy. His performance, along with the pelican scenes, are the highlights of the film.
Jai Courtney as Hideaway Tom and Trevor Jamieson as Fingerbone Bill perform the other key roles in the film. Yet they are never really given the chance to show the emotional depth of their characters. Their back stories are briefly alluded to yet never fully developed.
The film's major flaw is that it uses Geoffrey Rush in the role of an older man reflecting on his childhood as a Storm Boy. This is unnecessary and seems to suggest that the director and writers had a lack of confidence in the ability of the other actors to carry the story on their own.
Similarly, the linking of the story to a contemporary battle over mining and indigenous land rights in the Pilbara seems unnecessary and even clumsy. Surely it would be sufficient to focus more on ecological concerns about the Coorong wetlands where the story takes place rather than somewhere remote and abstract? Furthermore, Fingerbone Bill could have been given more of a role to highlight indigenous understanding of the land and his people's ongoing struggle for recognition of their culture and land rights.
For those who are not familiar with the original this film will probably pass as good entertainment. Hopefully it will lead to more appreciation of the original work.
Remaking a much loved film will always invite comparisons with the original. One would hope that the remake could add something new and adapt the story to reflect contemporary values and events. This remake attempts to do those things, but ultimately falls flat.
First, I should acknowledge that Finn Little does a superb job acting as Storm Boy. His performance, along with the pelican scenes, are the highlights of the film.
Jai Courtney as Hideaway Tom and Trevor Jamieson as Fingerbone Bill perform the other key roles in the film. Yet they are never really given the chance to show the emotional depth of their characters. Their back stories are briefly alluded to yet never fully developed.
The film's major flaw is that it uses Geoffrey Rush in the role of an older man reflecting on his childhood as a Storm Boy. This is unnecessary and seems to suggest that the director and writers had a lack of confidence in the ability of the other actors to carry the story on their own.
Similarly, the linking of the story to a contemporary battle over mining and indigenous land rights in the Pilbara seems unnecessary and even clumsy. Surely it would be sufficient to focus more on ecological concerns about the Coorong wetlands where the story takes place rather than somewhere remote and abstract? Furthermore, Fingerbone Bill could have been given more of a role to highlight indigenous understanding of the land and his people's ongoing struggle for recognition of their culture and land rights.
For those who are not familiar with the original this film will probably pass as good entertainment. Hopefully it will lead to more appreciation of the original work.