Surprisingly, last weekend marked the third week in a row that “The Lego Movie” topped the box office and has grossed more than $183 million since its debut. The stop-motion animated feature has exceeded many people’s expectations.
Obviously, it is the film I should have watched this past Valentine’s Day. Instead, I chose to watch “Winter’s Tale,” which was No. 10 at last weekend’s box office.
The film is based upon the novel of the same name and boasts a cast that’s chock-full of A-list actors. From the trailer, I gathered it was a love story set in 1916 in New York City, which was so potent that it somehow transcends time.
The actual story, however, was a little different that I imagined.
Colin Farrell plays our hero, Peter Lake, a thief who has crossed his Irish mob boss (Russell Crowe). Everything seems normal for a historical drama. That’s when Peter is rescued by a magical white horse.
Let me just repeat that: Peter is rescued by a magical white horse.
Before I knew it, the movie was flip-flopping between a normal period romance and something closer to “Stardust” or “The Never Ending Story,” but in an unintentionally comical sort of way.
Let me give you another example of this film’s weirdness level. Before it was 100 percent clear just how fantastical the plot was, Will Smith appeared in a cameo. He was wearing an earring and didn’t match the time period at all. What’s more? He was playing Satan. Strange!
Despite some good parts, I just can’t recommend this picture. I have no doubt that the book was charming, magical realism, but the movie did not come off that way at all.
I am not a fan!