Water For Elephants (2011)

Film: Water For Elephants (2011)

Director: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz

Like Your Highness, I saw Water For Elephants over a month ago and was in the final stretch of my dissertation so didn't really have the time to review it. Based on Sara Gruen's novel, Water For Elephants sees Jacob Jankowski's (Pattinson) world turned upside down with the sudden death of his parents. Jacob has to abandon his studies as veterinary student at Cornell University as the reality dawns on him that he is now homeless and penniless in the time of the Great Depression. One evening whilst walking along a train-track, Jacob decides to hop aboard the next locomotive, which just so happens to belong to the travelling circus menagerie known as the Benzini Brothers. Jacob runs into the circus's unstable leader August (Waltz) and his beautiful wife Marlena (Witherspoon) but soon puts his talents as a vet to use and becomes one of the circus's crew. Soon Jacob becomes entwined in a dangerous love triangle with Marlena that threatens the livelihood of the entire circus as well as his life, as the unpredictable and possessive August is never faraway.

Now a film starring Twilight sensation Robert Pattinson would never normally be at the top of my list but my girlfriend had just finished reading the book and raved about it, plus the trailer interested me for some reason. I agreed to see Water For Elephants and any misconceptions I had about it being a chick-flick or a Pattison love-fest were quickly dashed within the first twenty minutes of the film. I thoroughly enjoyed Water For Elephants and it surpassed any expectations I had going into the cinema.

Pattinson was (surprisingly) very good as Jacob. I know the guy gets a lot of crap for his stuff in Twilight but the dude can act and he was really good in this. Reese Witherspoon was also good and I disagree with what many of the critics said about her giving a lacklustre performance in the film. In Empire's review, Angie Errigo said "Witherspoon, it is said, loved the book. One suspects it was the costumes she loved best here," but I disagree as I personally felt Witherspoon was terrific. I had heard going in that the film was somewhat spoilt by a lack of chemistry between Pattinson and Witherspoon but again I saw no cause for concern. Perhaps their chemistry was not as electric as some on-screen relationships in the past have been but I've certainly seen a lot worse. Despite Pattinson and Witherspoon giving quality performances, one man steals the show and its no surprise that man is Christoph Waltz. His performance as the volatile August harks back to when I first saw him in Inglourious Basterds, as he was equally edgy and erratic, not to mention terrifying, as the circus's ringleader. Every moment Waltz was on screen you couldn't tell what he'd do next and some of his scenes with Pattinson were incredibly uncomfortable to watch (a good thing). Waltz certainly relished in his role as the villain and you really come to hate him as the movie progresses, which only cements that he's done his job perfectly.

Overall, Water For Elephants was a fantastic film I could recommend to anybody. Yes its a romantic period drama, but its got a sense of adventure few films in that genre possess. Plus, who doesn't like elephants?!

A More Enjoyable Reality Rating: 8/10

Thanks for reading.