Gnomeo And Juliet: Review

Here is a film with a terrific concept: Take William Shakespeare's most famous love story, update it without the classical language, animate it for a younger audience to enjoy and set the whole thing in two gardens with warring garden gnomes. How could you lose? Well, by producing a weak script, that's how.

Two groups of garden gnomes have been at war for years. The blue gnomes, led by a young adventurous gnome named Gnomeo, and the red gnomes, with Lord Redbrick in charge of their garden with tough Tybalt always up for a fight. One day, while exploring a deserted garden, Gnomeo meets and falls for the beautiful Juliet until he realises that she is a red gnome, and the daughter of Lord Redbrick. As they say, true love will conquer all, even if it makes the rift between the gnomes even worse.

This Elton John produced film has a lot going for it. The cast of voice talent that have been brought together looks more like a whos who of cinema. James McAvoy is the cocky Gnomeo while Emily Blunt is Juliet. There's also Michael Caine as the Lord while Maggie Smith presides over the blues; Jason Statham as the thuggish Tybalt. Even Ozzy Osbourne lends his Midlands tones to a deer!

The animation is fine, maybe not up to the Disney/Pixar standards but its  pretty good work compared to other British-made CGI animation. So far, so good.

So why doesn't it work? I think the problem is, it is far too clever for its own good. There are plenty of references to Shakespeare's works. One very funny part is when Juliet is battling to keep a bulldog from entering the garden, and while pushing a gate, shouting "Out! Out!" when in the distance you hear the owner shout "Damn Spot! Come here!" All well and good if you recognise the quote but lost on the young audience this film is aimed at. Very clever stuff but for an 8-year-old you want bright colours, likable characters and a little bit of silliness every so often, not intelligent jokes for the well-read.

With 10 (yes, 10) writers on board, you would expect more but I guess it's a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. Elton John supplies the songs, some classic and some new, and it is fun listening out for who will pop out next, but you get the feeling that the makers forgot they were making a family film and started throwing in gags that they think are funny. Hence the family filled audience I saw it with started getting very fidgety. Even the little girl sitting next to me said at one point 'It's not as good as Tangled!'

Not a terrible movie by a long shot but one that promised so much but delivers so little.