Directed by: Steve Barron
Starring: Eddie Izzard, Elijah Wood, Donald Sutherland, Toby Regbo, Rupert Penry- Jones
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: Vivendi Entertainment
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Running Time: 183 minutes
Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island” seems to be something that gets “re-imagined” at least once a year. The real draw here is Eddie Izzard playing Long John Silver. He really nails the role and is a lot of fun but that is about it. Elijah Wood is a nut in the film but doesn’t really show up till the second half. This mini-series aired earlier this year on Syfy in two-parts. After the first part, I was not incredibly thrilled but the second half definitely carried the weight of the film but it really wasn’t enough to really make this worth the wait. If you are a fan of other Syfy mini-series though like “Tin Men” and “Alice”, then definitely give this a look and expect the same quality in “Treasure Island”.
The story follows young Jim Hawkins, who is the only one who can successfully get a schooner to a legendary Island looking for buried treasure. Aboard the ship is a mysterious cook named John Silver (Izzard), who has other plans for the trip and causes Jim to loose trust in the crew. After that you known the rest of the story for “Treasure Island”, expect a bit of pirate action adventure, buried treasures and high sea sailing.
The Blu-ray presentation is quite impressive. The 1080p transfer looks sharp and worked well with the location shooting. It is also presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The audio track, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, also works well especially with the film’s action sequences.
The special features are slightly disappointing overall. There is a commentary track with by Director Steve Barron and Actor Eddie Izzard, few good laughs overall. There is a brief featurette “The Making of Treasure Island” with interviews with Steve Barron, Elijah Wood, David Harewood, Eddie Izzard but is just too short. There are more cast interviews including Eddie Izzard, Elijah Wood, Toby Regbo and Philip Glenister and Ruper Penry-Jones together. These are worth checking out but also short. “A Tour of the Hispaniola” is a feature with Dan Malone, Marine Coordinator on the film, taking us on the guided tour of the tall ship. “Anatomy of a Stunt” is a short feature on one of the stunts taking place on the ship. Lastly there is a trailer included as well.