Around the World in 80 Days (2004)

The 2004 version of Around the World in 80 Days is an entertaining hodge-podge of adventure, comedy, and scenery from across the globe. Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan, 24 Hour Party People), an obsessively precise inventor, bets that he can circumnavigate the planet in 80 days--considered impossible in the Victorian era. In this version, Jackie Chan plays a Chinese peasant who retrieves a stolen idol from the Bank of England, then convinces Fogg to hire him as a French valet so that Chan can get back to his village. Chan supplies numerous spectacular fights against the forces trying to stop Fogg or get the idol, while Coogan is both funny and a surprisingly appealing romantic lead (he flirts with a fetching French painter who joins them). The various episodes--featuring cameos by Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Cleese, Owen Wilson, and Sammo Hung--are uneven, but a goofy good cheer prevails. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Around the World Jackie Chan Style

I remember watching the original "Around the World in 80 Days" on television with my father in the 1970's. Dad and I both agreed the movie was a "yawner" and we were both asleep before it finished. While doing a library search for the Jules Verne book to tie in with the "Galloping the Globe" theme for school I was delighted when I discovered the Walden Media/Walt Disney version of the film.
The movie is based on the Jules Verne classic but with engaging twists and turns in the stories plot to keep you interested in the story. For this version Fogg's valet is none other than Passport 2 aka Jackie Chan. Chan brings his signature martial arts, stunt man antics and wacky humor to the storyline. Steve Coogan, a British actor widely known for his BBC comedy series "I'm Alan Partridge" replaces David Niven in the role of Phileas Fogg, brillant mechanical engineer, inventor and scientist.
The movie includes a cast of brillant character and comic actors, Robb Schneider of SNL fame, John Cleese of Fawlty Towers fame, and veteran actors Ian McNeice and Jim Brodbent. This movie is a world wind adventure for the entire family! September 14, 2008

Great family fun with Jackie Chan

This is a funny, family movie with martial arts, a pretty blue-eyed French woman, and many hilarious encounters. At times there are flowing scenery shots that are lightly animated, a way of forwarding through time in the movie. Something I did not like and thought was stupid was the animated chicken, which appears in an alternate beginning option on the DVD and appears later in the movie, I think when they're crossing the Atlantic towards England. However, the acting, direction, and signature Jackie Chan stunts all make up for any minor problems with the movie. The DVD also includes a few deleted scenes, and a good widescreen presentation. July 29, 2008

Waiting to Laugh

Jackie's martial arts antics remain admirable, but you can enjoy those and still laugh in his "Shanghi" movies. He's fun to watch, but he also falls prey to so many movies that just aren't funny-and this is one of them. The dialog stinks, the jokes fall way short, and the slap stick bites, to put it mildly. In this manner, it does strongly resemble the original, but when the movie itself is so bad, star cameos cannot save it. Do not waste your money or your time. What a waste, for an otherwise lovable guy. May 20, 2008

80-million dollar flop...

There isn't a single thing right with this movie. Bad computer graphics make real location shots look fake. The actors playing the two main heroes (Chan and Coogan) are horribly miscast. The fight scenes look boring (it's a miracle, considering Jackie Chan's participation, and I'll attribute it to the towering ineptitude of Frank Coraci as the director). The plot (I am being charitable using this word) takes totally unnecessary liberties with the setting and with the original material (the classic 1873 Jules Verne novel).

Do yourself a favor. Stay away from this turkey - buy the DVD of the 1956 multiple Oscar-winning adaptation of the same novel instead! May 15, 2008

Pure fun!

This movie is pure fun! Don't expect the Jules Verne version, or a "classic" Jackie Chan movie though! The "idea" from the book is there, and there is plenty of martial arts sequences, but not much else in either case. Still, there is plenty of light-hearted entertainment here... continuous action, chemistry, wit, suspense, surprise, tenderness... My family and I enjoy this film everytime we watch it! May 12, 2008

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