Robinson Crusoe Review

Robinson Crusoe is a film about how piecing a new life together on a lost island can be an exciting and fun-filled adventure if you have some ingenuity and some fabulous friends. It's a great film about the wild outdoors and surviving against the odds despite being casatway.

Robinson Crusoe (Shweighofer) is a genteel young man sailing the seas with his dog Ainsley (Franzke) and his men, when they're shipwrecked. Unsure of how to survive the island without his crew, Crusoe fights against the odds and puts his skills to the test in order to survive. He soon finds out that the island that he's marooned on is already inhabited.

A motley bunch of animals already call the tropical paradise their home, and with Crusoe's arrival, their lives are changed forever. Initially suspicious of Crusoe, the animals first try shooing him off the island, and almost succeed. An incident involving a pair of villainous cats who've survived Crusoe's old ship results in he saving Mak the parrot (Yanar) from the jaws of death - but his dog Ainsley dies shortly afterwards. Even as Crusoe mourns the loss of his dog, he becomes good friends with Mak and the animals who show him the ways of the island.

There's a subplot about some pirates who spot Crusoe's ship, and rescue him. They also make him part of their crew. He eventually escapes on a raft to join his animal friends on the island, even as the cats escape the island and board the pirate ship. The final face-off between the cats and Crusoe's group forms the climax of the film.

The film doesn't have much in common with Daniel Defoe's classic, but is a good watch for kids as it tells the story from the perspective of animals - and that offers some valuable insight. The sub-characters in the film have well-defined roles, and the dialogues are good, too. The film makes survival interesting and enjoyable - there's plenty of fun and games, and children will love the ride. Robinson Crusoe brings the best of middle-school science class ingenuity to the tropical island. It's all about tree houses, watch towers, crazy inventions, and the wonderful teamwork that makes all that possible.

There is a tad too much of adult grief in the film - like when Crusoe's dog Ainsley is charred to death, and when little kittens are shown starving for no reason. The children watching the film in the theatre liked the villains as well - that's how children are - and felt sorry when bad things happened to the cats, and were quite vocal about it. The other animals in the film are just adorable - if you love kids and animals, this is one film you'll enjoy.

Technically, the animation is quite good and the film makes for a great watch. The direction is pretty slick, and the writing is quite original. The music works for the film. This one is totally recommended for the weekend.