Treasure Island (2012)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

OK my main gripe with this adaptation of the book is it takes too many liberties with the original story and the characters as well, Dr Livesey goes from the main hero to a sniveling coward, Squire Trelawney goes from a trustworthy leader to a two faced greedy tyrannical land owner and the protagonists don't turn on each other and Jim DOESN'T throw the loot overboard when its time to return home and he doesn't free Silver as in the original story its clear he doesn't trust him. Some of the back story of Blind Pew, Black Dog and their relationship with Long John Silver was explored however this removed the shock of the apple barrel scene when Jim overhears the pirates planning the mutiny which is one of the most iconic parts of the story, and in fact renders the whole scene pointless. That said in spite of those negatives there were a few positives with this adaptation, we finally got to see the infamous Captain Flint in person, played superbly by Donald Sutherland if only for a short time, the portrayal of Captain Smollett was one of the few character's the movie got right. Casting Caribbean actors in some of the roles was a clever touch as pirate crews at the time of the did tend to have people from that part of the world, although some of the choices were rather odd, mainly because the actors were generally too young to poetry their characters in a realistic fashion, Elijah Wood as Ben Gunn was such an example, in regard to Eddie Izzard as Long John Silver, again like most other apsects, not bad. So to sum up it was worth watching once but I won't bother watching it again.

"Treasure Island" is one of those stories where reading the original novel beforehand is crucial to really savoring any film version, and this is especially true of this divergent adaptation. Although it retains the basic skeleton of the original plot, much has been added, and many key characters have undergone fundamental changes. I was initially hostile to said changes but soon came to appreciate and enjoy the new sub-conflicts, many of which address universal themes (e.g., greed,loyalty) which are more relevant than ever today. I didn't particularly like the way "TI" (2012) hurries through pivotal scenes from the book, yet, with all that's been added, suppose that was necessary in order to limit its already 3-hour length.This version is also full of small anachronisms in clothing and hair design, as well as some bigger ones in the ethnically diverse ship's crew ("all Englishmen!" in the novel), some of whom sport Mr. T-style Mohawks (!?) While it seems the makers wanted to address the additional modern theme of diversity here, the un-pc truth of the matter is that your average European person of the 1700s would not have taken kindly to such a mix, and the way the crew, including its rich officers and financiers, blithely accept differences in nationality and complexions is, well, unconvincing. At the same time, there are also some added details (e.g., prostitutes, thieves, and hanged men along the filthy Bristol quayside) which, although avoided by Robert Louis Stevenson in a novel intended largely for a younger audience, add a great deal of realism in this version.In the end, "TI" (2012) is well-filmed and well-acted despite its various weak spots. While this revision is obviously to be avoided by those rigidly attached to the original story (or just wanting to see a film version of RLS's actual book), it should appeal to audiences in search of a less dualistic, more complicated tale, created in an age that tends to appreciate anti-heroes like Long John Silver.

I have never read the book and the last movie version I may have seen was over twenty years ago, honestly don't remember it much. This was mini series was very good I enjoyed it, Eddie Izzard gave an unexpected well rounded performance, many of the supporting roles are well played by this cast of mostly unknown English actors.There is a grittiness and sense of realism, unlike Pirates of the Caribbean which is played up for the Hollywood big screen epic.This moves along at a well managed pace drawing you in to the story and characters. Steve Barron is no stranger to the TV medium he is well adept at maximizing the small screen making you feel like your watching a big screen epic, best known for Merlin, Arabian Nights and the Adventures of Pinnochio he brings his distinct style to this tale and delivers Robert Louis Stevenson to a new era and generation. I think you will enjoy Treasure Island as I did.

This is a very well done pirate movie. They did an excellent job getting most things accurate for the time period. From a sailing side, I didn't like some of the things on screen. (i.e. a shot with a loose flying Jib Boom Sail. This would have NEVER happen on a real ship with a knowledgeable crew.)My main disappointment was the complete miss on the relationships between the character's from the book. One of the main reasons the original book was so appealing and became so famous was because of the trust, and faith the adults in the movie had for the child, Jim Hawkins. In the book, just about every adult had the utmost faith and trust in the information Jim provided. I found it very frustrating that no one but John Silver put trust in Jim in the movie.Another issue I had with this was the relationship between the Squire, The Doctor and Jim. I think this triangle was something that was so vital to ability to believe the original story. It was changed so much in the movie, that it was hard to accept.Again .. I really thought the movie was great. But perhaps it would have been better to change the title and claim it as a adaptation of treasure island rather than saying it IS treasure island ... because it's not.Kudos though to all involved, I commend you for taking on such a large scale production. I know ship movies in general are expensive and difficult. It was a really great movie on a whole.