Reliable Reviews Too 2007-04-05
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Felix, Felicity, Gus Pike, and Chef Pierre La Pierre, visit the wild west (as different characters). Technically excellent in costumes, sets, attractive locations, by a good sized budget, with a steady pace,...yet unsatisfying without a good script.
Watchable, because it is visually appealing. If you are a "Road to Avonlea"-fan, you loyally work (sigh) at liking Felix and Felicity, though they make dumb decisions that are unlikely. You think the story is going to settle down, to a plot, develop likeable personality in the characters, build a believable relationship between two persons, and get better, throughout the two and a half hours,...but it never does. Young, female, fans of Zachary Bennett may enjoy it anyway.
Felix's father is unpleasant, and like most of the characters, is given no likeable personality. So the audience has no concern for him in his later imprisonment, or in his relationship with Felix. Too many disputes, without the balance of any fun, warmth, or charm. Felix is in hysteria through half the film. The script does not build a believable friendship between any two characters. There are no characters to admire, except briefly the peddler. There is no humor from the writer who created, so well, the melodramatic and humorous Ms. Pigeon Plumtree. The rescues are often convenient, and thus unbelievable. Several murders. There is no moral of the story. Not written to the audience of "Road to Avonlea", "Loves Comes Softly", or "Tom Sawyer". The writer has thought up scenes, and strung them together, which does not a plot make, and is without a target audience. Visually appealing, but no heart and soul. Hollow, without imagination, except the bird helping the imprisoned father, which is wasted, because we do not like the father.
"Road to Avonlea" is a series by people smarter than me. Walt Disney was a great story-teller. Walt knew he directed artists more gifted than himself. Yet, Walt never hesitated to pull their drawings off the story-board onto the floor if they did not work; and send brilliant people back to their drawing-boards to start all over again with some suggestions. The producer should have drawn from his contacts of excellent writers from "Road to Avonlea"; including Heather Conkie, Suzette Couture, and Hart Hanson for a story of interest.
I recommend instead: "Iron Will", "Wild America", "Newsies", "Tom Sawyer", "Road to Avonlea", and "Alaska" as better movies of children on adventure.
