Home :: DVD :: Animation :: Kids & Family  

Anime & Manga
Comedy
Computer Animation
General
International
Kids & Family

Science Fiction
Stop-Motion & Clay Animation
James and the Giant Peach - Special Edition

James and the Giant Peach - Special Edition

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $15.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 5 >>

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: HORRIFIC -- NOT for children!
Review: To list this video in the Children's and Family sections of any store is a gross misjustice to us parents. I unknowingly got this video for my 4 year old because I thought I had heard only good things about it. Ala Disney, the parents are killed off right away. Then some grotesque aunts take over and start torturing this poor child. By the time James crawled into the peach, my daughter and I were too horrified to watch any further and turned it off...never to be turned on again! DO NOT GET THIS VIDEO FOR CHILDREN.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Interesting adaptation of book
Review: As a young child I loved the Roald Dahl books, and James and the Giant Peach was no exception. I was interested in seeing the movie, so I got this movie.

The movie is about a young boy named James who lives with two evil aunts. He is constantly harassed by them and they work him like a slave. The movie takes a magical turn when James meets a strange man who gives him a bag full of crocodile tongues and other strange things.

The movie was pretty good, but not really that special. The animation is sometimes choppy, and looks a little too fake. The movie itself may seem too unbelievable for some, after all it's about a giant peach that flies, sails, and provides a domicile. Nevertheless, there were many enjoyable moments in the movie. The music was very good, and some of the characters were very memorable (the centipede, the grasshopper, the spider). There is some rude humor in this movie, but not too offending. Overall, this is a good movie that supplements the amazing book.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: This is not for young children
Review: It is a charming movie, but I thought it was for kids and let my 5 year old watch it. Not a great idea. The movie begins with James living a wonderful life with terrific parents. His parents are then eaten by a fierce rhinocerous who appears out of storm clouds. Then he has to go and live with his cruel aunts who beat him (at one point they actually threaten him with an ax)and chase him across the world. The "happy" ending is that James gets to live the rest of his life with a bunch of giant insects, including a spider for a mother. If you are looking for a movie for young kids, skip this one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I don't think special edition means what they think it does
Review: Roald Dahl's modern classic tells the story of James, an orphan who is treated cruelly by his aunts, until one day a benevolent stranger gives him some magical crocodile tongues -- and then marvelous things begin to happen! With new friends, James discovers that he is resourceful and loyal. He learns to believe in himself and trust in others.

This terrific story is given the treatment it deserves by director Henry Selick and producer Tim Burton (who also made Nightmare Before Christmas together). Stop-motion, live action and special effects combine to bring this incredible story to life, and the effort is dazzling, even though the work is almost a decade old.

The dvd features are marginal at best. While it's nice to have the option of DTS or Dolby Digital sound, the other features do not merit calling this a special edition. You can hear the dialogue in English, French or Spanish, and subtitling is available in Spanish or for the hearing impaired. There is also a 4-1/2 minute featurette, a trailer and a Randy Newman music video. Still photos are categorized as Concept Art (9), Puppets (9), Behind-the-Scenes (36) or Live Action (18), and they can be seen as thumbprints or enlarged. There are trailers for NBX, Toy Story 2 and Lady and the Tramp 2. Menus are a bit clunky.

Great film. Mediocre DVD edition.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Funny! :3
Review: I love "James and the Giant Peach" movie becuase there are little jokes and retorts I think only a teenager (like myself) or an adult would understand. I also think the Centipede is the best (of course) and I love how he and the spider constantly pick on eachother (there's a kissy scene at the end nothing...bad...but yeah know..it's kina different..I think in a good way...nnnyeah). Anyway, it's a good movie. I would like to read the book sometime and see how similar the characters are. Go watch it! NOW! *gets up and goes to watch the movie because she has no life and my friends are always busy* :D X3

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My Favorite Movie of All Time
Review: I'd rate this movie with 5 because the marbles in the jar inside the peach are huge! I also like the centipede. The cetipede's name is Monsier Centipede. But, I don't really care what he goes by. I also like this movie because ther's a huge robotic shark that attacks the peach. I won't say much more, because I don't want to give up the whole movie for those people who haven't seen it yet.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: zzzzzzz......
Review: This movie is boring. This book is great...I really blame the same ole'-same ole' tunes of Randy Newman. His music is C-level...think about all of the movies he has written for...the songs are really forgettable....and they all pretty much sound like "Short People" -- his lone hit in the 70's. Not to make this a big "I hate Randy Newman" review, but music is so pervasive in movies even if we don't realize it. Man, look at what John Williams did for Star Wars and E.T. If you don't get chills when that music builds to a cresencdo, then you ain't listening! Newman on the other hand, builds to a crescendo and we don't even know it...then we blame the movie for not being great. Lokk at Monsters Inc. (Newman again..and again forgettable...) I think that another problem with the movies of this time was that they were so interested in getting "big name voices" and of course paying them and stroking their egos, that the movies suffer. Burton had a big problem with this (Jack Nickolson , et al.) in Batman and he felt the movie would suffer. He was right. I couldn't even watch Aladdin for a while because of all the Robin Williams hoopla (he was everywhere) Now, I watch it and he is pretty okay. (of course the music is great...and Rice as lyricist is STELLAR...really listen to the words sometime..) James and the Giant Peach is another movie that is mediocre at best...I don't know what exactly led to its failure...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Movie Review
Review: Thought that the movie was great, but I thought that it was mean the he had to stay in in his room. The idea of eating the peach when they were starving and burning up. I don't know if I would take a small child to see this. The only reason is that it was scary at some times and he was not treated they way you would treat your own child. But on the other hand I thought it was a great educational movie and helps set moral confidence and self-esteem.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An EXCELLENT film gets a pretty good DVD treatment....
Review: but it's not exactly worthy of the "Special Edition" distinction. Honestly, there really isn't a great deal of extra stuff here, apart from a somewhat skimpy art gallery, the obligatory trailers, a music video you'll probably watch exactly once, and a so-so featurette. Still, the video transfer is quite nice, and the bright, vivid colors practically pop off the screen.

I must say that I'm a little disappointed by the number of negative reviws here, but to each his own, I guess... to me, this film is beautifully surreal, and never ever fails to make me smile from ear to ear. Comparisons to Tim Burton's stunning Nightmare Before Christmas are probably inevitable, but really aren't fair. This is a far more lighthearted outing, colorful and fast-paced, but not nearly as ambitious or artistic as Burton's epic. Then again, it's highly doubtful that ANY stop-motion film will ever top the genius of Burton's lovingly crafted magnum opus. Stylistic similarities between the two films are definitely apparent (look for a cameo, of sorts, from Jack Skellington in the pirate ship sequence), but James and the Giant Peach, instead of feeling like a second-rate knockoff, manages to establish its own very appealing identity. It's the epitome of a storybook come to life, and makes for a highly enjoyable watch. Plus, any film that features the exquisite Joanna Lumley (of Ab/Fab fame) is fine by me.

Overall, a 5-star movie with a 4-star (well, 4 1/2, really) DVD that is wholeheartedly recommended for imaginative adults and intelligent children everywhere.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Ab Fab for kids?...
Review: First question, Joanna, why this? Stick to doing "Absolutely Fabulous"---it suits you far better than this tripe.

Second question, Tim, is this supposed to even compare to your brilliance in "Nightmare before Chistmas?" Very dull by comparison, and visually bleak as well.

This effort is a little to high-strung for kids, and a little too (jest plain ol' dosh garn) stupid for adults. There isn't the sense of humor that you had in "Nightmare." Perhaps "sense" is the wrong word...."level" is more precise. At the same time, there is a sense of "hurry" within the movie that almost makes it seem like things were very rushed...animation, production, story line, etc.

If you're looking for good Tim Burton in this vein, get "Nightmare" instead. Otherwise, stick to the greats like "Beetlejuice" and "Edward Scissorhands."

If you're looking for something to turn the kiddies into mindless zombies to get them out of your hair for (approx) 120 minutes, go for "Chicken Run."

If you're looking for something that Burton has painfully and repeatedly tried to imitate, get anything by the team of Rankin and Bass...preferably, "Mad Mad Monster Party." It features the incredible Boris Karloff on vocals....singing songs of "working ahead" on your schoolwork to stay ahead of the game--- entertaining, educational, and inspiring for the kiddies. And, it is absolutely amazing stop-action stuff....same team that did the Rudolph and Frosty flicks that have been shown for the last 20 odd years.


<< 1 2 3 4 5 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates