Water for Elephants

3 stars

Water for Elephants charms viewers with compelling characters and strong cinematography.

Rating: PG
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz

What’s the story?
Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson) is studying veterinary science at Cornel University in the '30s when a tragic car accident leaves him an orphan with no inheritance. It pulls him from the comfortable life he had planned and thrusts him into the real world, where poverty is commonplace and prohibition is in full swing. In an act of desperation, he hops a passing train and unknowingly lands himself in the centre of a travelling circus, The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Jacob soon finds himself caught up in the lives of the assorted misfits that call the circus home. Among these are Marlena (Witherspoon), the beautiful and talented horse trainer and her husband August (Waltz), the possessive circus ringleader. The film is told as a narrative being re-lived by the 90-year-old Jacob, who is desperately trying to escape his dull nursing home. Water for Elephants is an immersive tale of what life in the circus truly meant in one of the twentieth century’s most troubled decades.

Why see it?
The cast did an excellent job of creating dynamic and realistic characters, and outstanding sets and costumes bring the ‘30s to life. The crew did not allow themselves to be outshone by the cast, delivering some original and stunning camera shots. Fans of either Pattinson or Witherspoon might also enjoy seeing these well known personalities experiment with some diverse characters. Overall, Pattinson did a fairly good job of shedding his Twilight past and donning the dissimilar role of a Polish elephant trainer with relative ease.

Problems?
While a decent movie, Water for Elephants was not the smoothest transition from book to movie. Originally an award winning novel by Sara Gruen, the script sometimes relies too heavily on narration and dialogue to explain key plot twists. There were also a few unexplained moments in the film that may not make sense to audience members who have not read the book. It is also a stretch to call this movie PG, as there are multiple moments not suited for the whole family. Younger viewers might want to just skip it completely.

All in all:
An interesting and well-done adaptation of historical fiction to the big screen.