Treasure Island

Rating:
Summary: Did the film makers read the book?
Review: Anyone who has actually read the book will be disappointed with this version of the film. Despite pretty good casting, the film is ruined by an unforgivable altering of the story. Peter Rowe owes an apology to all fans of R. L. Stevenson.

Rating:
Summary: Deranged Piece of Garbage!
Review: Avoid this deranged piece of garbage at all costs. The story is so distorted from Robert Louis StevensonÕs original that it should probably not be titled ÒTreasure IslandÓ. I understand that sometimes liberties must be taken when making a movie out of a book. But it really irritates me when Hollywood decides to completely distort the original story because they think that they can do better. The acting is nothing short of awful. I think that Jack Palance knew that he was in a turkey and only put in a half hearted effort.

I read Treasure Island as a boy and then again to my children and now I am looking forward to reading it to my grandchildren. The Charlton Heston version (I wish it would come out in DVD) of this movie is the best, in my opinion, with the Bobby Driscoll/Robert Newton and the Wallace Beery/Jackie Cooper classic not far behind. All are true to Robert Louis StevensonÕs story. If you want to rent or buy Treasure Island, get one of these. Better yet, read (or reread) the book!

Rating:
Summary: A miserable affair
Review: I love Treasure Island, but I hated this movie. This uninspired version plods along until the end, and then it becomes wretched. Jim teams up with the pirates to kill the Doctor, Squire, and Captain. This movie was so bad I felt sick after watching it. Jack Palance would have made a fine Long John in a better directed version. On the plus side, the camera work is decent and the Hispaniola is beautiful.

Go for the Disney or Charlton Heston version instead.

Rating:
Summary: Same Story Different Ending
Review: If you've seen any of the many versions of Treasure Island then you've seen them all. Whats makes this version at least different, (if not better) is the dramatic change at the end of the story. I realize its not what the author had in mind, but hey this is hollywood and they reserve the right to alter the story.
The acting ranged from very good to very bad; with Kevin Zegers (Jim Hawkins) probably doing the best acting job in the movie. Another version, and in my opinion the best to date, features Christian Bale & Charlton Heston in the lead roles. This version was still one of the better ones though and all in all I give it four stars.

Rating:
Summary: Same Story Different Ending
Review: If you've seen any of the many versions of Treasure Island then you've seen them all. Whats makes this version at least different, (if not better) is the dramatic change at the end of the story. I realize its not what the author had in mind, but hey this is hollywood and they reserve the right to alter the story.
The acting ranged from very good to very bad; with Kevin Zegers (Jim Hawkins) probably doing the best acting job in the movie. Another version, and in my opinion the best to date, features Christian Bale & Charlton Heston in the lead roles. This version was still one of the better ones though and all in all I give it four stars.

Rating:
Summary: A Kevin Zegers Must-Have
Review: Kevin Zegers and Jack Palance shine in this adaptation of the classic novel. You probably need a calculator to add up all the different versions of the film, and everybody agrees that the version starring Bobby Driscoll is by far the best - but this one is an enjoyable journey.

The DVD itself is nothing to brag about with very limited "special features" - it is obvious it was cheaply produced but the video quality is good. Worth a viewing by any Kevin Zegers or Jack fan.

Rating:
Summary: A Kevin Zegers Must-Have
Review: Kevin Zegers and Jack Palance shine in this adaptation of the classic novel. You probably need a calculator to add up all the different versions of the film, and everybody agrees that the version starring Bobby Driscoll is by far the best - but this one is an enjoyable journey.

The DVD itself is nothing to brag about with very limited "special features" - it is obvious it was cheaply produced but the video quality is good. Worth a viewing by any Kevin Zegers or Jack fan.

Rating:
Summary: total perversion of a wonderful story
Review: We rented this out of our love for the Treasure Island story as well as our respect for Jack Palance's acting skills. While Mr. Palance performed well, the story itself was totally twisted. The "good guys" became the "bad guys" and the "bad guys" turned out to be actually the "good guys". Par for our modern PC culture which fortunately R. L. Stevenson knew nothing about (and yes, I have read the original story). SPOILER: the story ends by the "hero" Long John Silver sailing to Jamaica with Jim Hawkins and Ben Gunn (the "good guys" of the show were killed during a fight at the treasure -- but the story was so twisted that you were actually glad they received their "just reward" in death!). The only reason I rated this a "1-star" was because there was not a "zero-star" rating.