A far off land. A far off journey. A far off adventure.
1993-03-12
N/A
108 min
Thrown together under incredible circumstances, two strangers must discover courage and strength when they begin a journey across the treacherous African desert! Equipped only with their wits and the expertise of a native bushman who befriends them, they are determined to triumph over impossible odds and reach their destination. But along the way, the trio face a primitive desert wilderness.
The Kalahari adventure!
If you are a Disney live-action film fan, you won't disappoint with it. It comes between the regular Disney films and Disney nature films. It sets in somewhere in the Namibia and takes us with to a great adventure which is more like a documentary film than a film with a story. Actually, there was a small story, mostly on the opening and the end part and the rest of the film was a foot journey like 'The Way Back'. Based on the book of the same name about a girl and a boy who team up with a bushman to cross the Kalahari desert after their family was attacked by the poachers.
I did not know anything about it, so I expected nothing. But I thought of 'The Gods Must be Crazy', since it is not a comedy, I prepared for something new. I really liked the film, but not that much. Spectacular African landscapes, and awesome performances by everyone. I would have loved it if a few more wild animals participated in it, after all African flavour means that's what we all anticipate, especially the children. So from that perspective, it is slightly a disappointment, but not much. Other than that it is a fine family film from a trusted production house.
6.5/10
Starts off a little rocky, but once it gets going <em>'A Far Off Place'</em> is very good.
It's exactly what you'd want from an adventure drama. The adventure is a grand one, while the drama is certainly in there from beginning to end. The stuff in the Kalahari Desert looks neat, with it being filmed across Namibia and Zimbabwe. James Horner's score, meanwhile, fits.
The main reason for the iffy start is the acting. Reese Witherspoon (Nonnie) and Ethan Embry (Harry) aren't great in the opening 15-25 minutes, especially Embry. However, thankfully, once they are left to go on into the 100 minute run time they become decent to watch. Sarel Bok (Xhabbo) and Maximilian Schell (Theron) are good too. The villains are forgettable and plain, but that doesn't hamper proceedings in my opinion.
It shows off the nastiness of ivory hunting well, especially with one scene nearer the start. The conclusion isn't anything astonishing, but I feel it works suitably enough. Overall, I can say I had an enjoyable experience watching this.
