In addition to flowers for Mother's Day, I took my mom to the movies. Saying my mother doesn't get out of the house often would be somewhat of an understatement. The frightening truth is, she hadn't been to the movies since 2009, when she chose Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. I knew I had to do something about that, considering how big of an impact movies have on my life now and in the future. I laughed a little to myself as she began asking me innumerable questions pre-show time ranging from popcorn to previews to plot line. "Lauren, isn't it amazing that you can butter and salt it yourself?" "Are they going to turn the volume up?" "What do you think of that one?" But I must say, after a two-year hiatus, Water For Elephants was a great way to reintroduce her to the world of cinema.
Water For Elephants, directed by Francis Lawrence, is the retold story of the Benzini Brothers circus catastrophe through the eyes of Jacob Jankowski. Within the first five minutes, I knew I was in for a treat. Call me a sucker for flashbacks or maybe just an old soul, but watching elderly Jacob tell his life story was like candy to my eyes and ears. Plus, the gradual transition from older Jacob, played by Hal Holbrook, to younger Jacob, played by Robert Pattinson, was a beautiful touch. Although not the most creative approach, it was a very elegant way to open the movie.
As Robert Pattinson assumes the role of Jacob, you, as the viewer, are immediately immersed into the culture of the 1930s. This, I paid close attention to. Granted, I couldn't have possibly been alive in the 30s, but Lawrence made me feel as though I was. I'll admit, I don't know every last detail of the Roaring 20s spilling into the 30s. However, the general history class leftovers that didn't make it to the mental trash can told me that things were pretty close, if not spot on. The music, the costumes and wardrobe, the signs, speakeasies and Prohibition. Everything just made sense.
In order to keep surprises intact, in case you choose to see it, I'll give you a vague rundown of the beginning. Within the first ten minutes, a life-changing incident leaves Jacob homeless. He packs up his belongings, heads down to the railroad tracks and hops aboard the first train to come by. What he didn't know is that he jumped into one of the many cars belonging to the Benzini Brothers circus.
As Jacob walks around, seeing the sights, I couldn't help but get a little annoyed after a while. For, I'll guess, four to five minutes, Robert Pattinson looked around with a goofy grin on his face. Granted, he was gazing at some pretty awesome stuff. But, I wanted to draw the line and say, "I get it Rob...you're happy." But hey, if my first problem is that the main actor smiles a little too much, I'd say the director's doing alright.
Jumping forward, the introduction of Rosie is what made me fall for the characters. Rosie, the 53-year-old elephant, had such a huge impact on developing the characters of Reese Witherspoon, as Marlena Rosenbluth, and Pattinson. The elephant was their common bond and because of her, their relationship blossomed. On top of that, Reese really made me want to ride and flip around on one. Despite being scary as all hell, it looks ridiculously fun. The connection of Marlena, the star of the show, with Rosie was magic. Her carefree will to put all of her trust in the animal gave the circus performances a very whimsical, dreamy feeling like childhood. That belief, that glimmer of hope, that anything is possible, was exhibited through Rosie.
But where there's a dream, there's always a nightmare. What the paying customers don't see under the tent is the storm brewing behind the scenes. After getting Rosie, Jacob accepts the responsibilities of training her and turning her into a moneymaker. But when Rosie doesn't do things according to plan, circus owner August Rosenbluth, played by Christoph Waltz, gets angry. Said anger is released onto Rosie through the bullhook, a training weapon. Any scenes regarding the bullhook made me extremely uncomfortable and nervous. I absolutely love animals and don't enjoy seeing them threatened. I realize that to truly convey the story and cut to its core, it was necessary. However, that didn't make it any easier to watch. Seeing an extremely innocent and gentle animal being prodded, stabbed and slashed with a hook made me cringe and conveyed an extremely powerful message. In no way am I condoning animal violence, but putting scenes such as those in a film takes some serious cojones. I respect Lawrence for the daring step. On the bright side, absolutely no animals were harmed in the filming of the movie. With CGI and fake blood, Lawrence could achieve the look.
As the role of August Rosenbluth continued to pan out in front of my eyes, I couldn't help but think that I had seen the character before. Waltz, known in the U.S. for his role of Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, played an evil, power-hungry man hunting down and exterminating innocent people. In Water For Elephants, he is very much the same character. The power of holding the lives of a train full of people in his hands was very reminiscent of the way he took on the power and vigor of being a Nazi. His willingness to throw his workers off the train, without a second thought, to cut costs showcases the same, heartless character. In addition, he beats his wife Marlena. In no way does this mean it was a poor performance on his behalf. He did an absolutely impeccable job at being truly frightening with his own signature style. Remaining physically and mentally calm and collected while torturing or inflicting pain on someone is horrifying, but I was hoping to see something new from him.
With Water For Elephants, Pattinson took a huge leap away from the beloved Twilight franchise that made him a star. One factor about it stood out in my mind that truly impressed me. Now, I know most, if not all, of the punches and fight scenes were staged, but he took each beating like a man. And he really gets the wind knocked out of him. A lot. Scrapes, bruises and gashes leave his face looking disfigured, but that doesn't stop him. This may sound bad, but I was almost thankful for the constant quarrels. By maintaining the rough-and-tumble, rebellious personality, Pattinson was able to take a small step away from the pretty boy persona the public has given him. Quite an improvement from a sparkling vampire with air-brushed abs, if I do say so myself.
SPOILER AHEAD
For my only spoiler, I have one thing to say about Jacob. In the film, he remains patient and nonviolent with Rosie as he tries to teach her tricks. When he discovers that she understands words, so long as they are spoken in Polish, the biggest smile came to my face. The sheer coincidence of the situation made me happy because, obviously, an elephant cannot start talking. Rosie was like a locked jewelry box, which Jacob had finally found the key to. That was the cutest part in the movie for me, especially because Jacob had to leave his Polish roots behind. Rosie, whose real name is Tai, truly became an actress. She had my attention every second she was on camera.
SPOILERS END
After viewing, I would seriously recommend Water For Elephants. With so many strong qualities about it, it's not one you want to miss out on.
Out of four, I give it:
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