Water For Elephants: Review

Being a film critic means having to see films you think aren't going to be very good. Water For Elephants was one such film. I had a dread in my stomach of having to sit through a 2 hour movie with Robert Pattinson in it. However, this isn't all about him and it came as a big surprised that I kind of liked Water For Elephants.

An old man arrives as a circus is about to leave town and refuses to move from their path. He is eventually persuaded to come inside and is asked to tell the story of his life. It is the Depression in America and Jacob is a veterinary student who is about to take his final exam when tragedy strikes and he is left homeless. Wandering aimlessly, he boards a train that just happens to belong to a circus. After convincing the owner, egomaniac August, he is allowed to stay as their own personal vet. He meets Marlena, the star attraction and wife of August but Jacob is immediately attracted to her. When August buys an elephant to pull in the audiences, he puts Jacob in charge of her and his wife to ride the creature, bringing them closer together.

This is a decent, old-fashioned love story that has a feel of old world Hollywood to it. It is beautifully shot and the use of the circus background helps with the framing of the film. Director Francis Lawrence seems a strange choice to direct a depression set romance, considering his previous films, I Am Legend and Constantine, and yet he handles the whole affair well, never making it too slushy to make you sick.

Reese Witherspoon is very easy on the eye but the character doesn't really demand too much from her. She is perfectly adequate as Marlena but she is good enough just to turn up and read the lines and it's made believable. Robert Pattinson is fine, he just doesn't come across as a proper Hollywood leading man. He tries to smoulder but it's all too bland and any emotional depth just isn't there. Occasionally he smiles but it's like he believes that it will make him look more human.

The star turn, however, is Christoph Waltz. Oscar winner from the brilliant Inglorious Basterds, his turn as August is the film's crowning glory. A man who one moment is as nice as pie and in the blink of an eye is the evillest creature around, he captures your attention in every scene and without him, this would certainly have been a duller movie. The other star turn is, of course, Rosie the Elephant, who you can't help but fall in love with and in one scene, you sympathise with the giant animal than any of the humans (and once again, thanks to Waltz's incredible performance, it is a scene that will stick with you long after it has happened).

As love stories go, it is perfectly fine and will keep those looking for something lovely happy. At 2 hours, it is a tad too long but with a terrific sense of period, some well handled set pieces and Waltz, this is a far better experience than anyone would have guessed.