Film No. 76 (2014) October 22nd. 6:30 PM PARADISO Northbridge.
The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet
The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet is a unique book. Reif Larson's novel is presented as a journal come scrapbook, making any attempt to translate the story to the screen, tempered with risk. The film doesn't quite live up to the spirit of adventure depicted in the book however it is very entertaining and well worth seeing in 3D format.
The 3D format is often reserved for animated films. Up is an example of a film I loved because of it's 3D dimension. In The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet, 3D elevates the story to new levels as we grow to enjoy the company of T.S. while he imagines, invents, dreams and predicts all manner of ideas. The pop out inserts (3D) give us extra insight into the prodigious mind of our new friend.
Put simply, T.S. is primary school genius who lives with his eccentric mid western farming family. He is a scientist of note, inventing a perpetual motion machine and having that achievement recognized by the Smithsonian Institute. He accepts the invitation to attend the awards presentation in Washington without his family's knowledge and then proceeds, with over-sized suitcase in hand, to take the daunting road-trip cross country; via a goods train.
Kyle Catlett is wonderfully charismatic as T.S. He captures our heart as he avoids the pitfalls and challenges served up on his journey, all the time coming to terms with the tragedy embedded in his past. His family, led by his mum (Helen Bonham Carter) are colourful and help us to better understand our traveling friend, T.S. With the advancement of 3D to the latest T.V. units this film may become a real icon of the family movie genre. 8GUMS
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