Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) Reviews

• My boys LOVED it!!!

  tina-1752011-02-10

  I took my twins (age 5) to see this today and they were THRILLED to bits!! I disagree with the reviewer that says it's a "girls'" movie! My Hot Wheels/Bionicle loving sons, loved it and they didn't think it was girly one bit and neither did I! I also did not think it was a Toy Story rip off as there have been a ton of movies featuring toys that come alive long before Toy Story anyway. Yes, garden gnomes and decorations come to life but that's were the similarity between the two ends. I did not go in expecting to see a cartoon version of Romeo and Juliet so I was not disappointed one bit and thankfully, this story does not share the tragic end of the original tale. I did like the characters quite a bit, I LOVED how the gnomes were fragile, I loved the clay clinging sounds they made, how realistic the textures were.. it did not feel like a "dime a dozen" animation at all!! It was bright, it had a solid plot, and it was going somewhere (unlike let's say, Alpha and Omega or Happy Feet). My boys were begging as soon as the titles rolled to watch it again so we just might be returning to the movie theater with some friends this weekend. I wouldn't mind seeing it myself and I was glad we did go see it because after I read the previous review, I had my doubts if it was going to be any good but it was!!! My boys "got it" much better than say, Shrek... so it will appeal to a younger crowd as well in my opinion...

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• Lighten up, really

  Fang_332011-02-12

  Cut the pretentious crud. This film is obviously intended to entertain a younger audience, and it does a good job at doing that, while somewhat tactfully putting in some jokes for the parents. No, it's not spectacular. If you watch this movie expecting something "Grade A", you're not going to get much out of it. The plot: generic, predictable. But obviously so, considering it's called "Gnomeo and Juliet". The cast is an oddball compilation of respectable actors, with the exception of the obscure addition of Ozzy. But what is really keeping this movie going is the cuteness of it. That is the selling point, and what makes it most appealing. If you go into this movie expecting something more, you will be left disappointed. So I suggested you loosen up, look for a laugh, and you'll enjoy it more. It's not a bad film.

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• Funny as!

  Mork_the_Borg2011-02-25

  Okay, so I bought myself a pack of 10 movie-tickets from Hoyts and thought "what the heck" lets see a movie with the family. So, we went for Gnomeo and Juliet and we really, really enjoyed it. Yes, the movie is predictable from start to finish, but I say: "So what!" It's supposed to be a family/kids movie and we all know that this movie is not going to end like the real Romeo and Juliet. The characters are funny, the voices are great, the flamingo(s) even better. The Terrafirmanator is cool - I would like to order three and have them delivered within the next 5 minutes. Mixing in the music of good old Sir Elton John makes the movie even better - it becomes so English! Mmmm... the end-scene did remind me of Shrek a lot (just a lot softer, which makes sense them being a bunch of garden gnomes - they are quite fragile), but it's still very, very positive. Yeah, I believe Gnomeo and Juliet is a must see for the family - you won't regret it. Oh, please observe the sound when the gnomes happen to touch each other - I think the sound artists have done a fantastic job!

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• Fun movie for the kids!

  TheChampReview2011-03-31

  First of let me just say that this is a kid's movie and its only purpose is to entertain children. So if you're an adult trying to find a reason to pick it apart, you need a new hobby! I'm someone who enjoys seeing animated children's films because they're fun and refreshing. I don't worry about holes in the story, the score, the acting, the cinematography because at the end of the day if my nieces and nephews are entertained then the movie did it's job. This is a fun flick and has a very interesting take on Romeo and Juliet. I especially loved the scene towards the end where the main character Gnomeo was chatting it up with a William Shakespeare statue. The beginning was funny as the random Gnome tried to explain the plot. I enjoyed it.

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• Was pleasantly surprised

  Ruth_912011-02-26

  Gnomeo and Juliet is the latest re-imagining of Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo and Juliet . I will admit that I didn't go into this film with high hopes, but while its not an instant classic, I was pleasantly surprised. Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean... The film begins with an amusing homage to these lines, before we really get into it. The garden gnomes of two neighbouring backyards, the Red Gnomes and the Blue Gnomes, have an ongoing rivalry as to who's garden is best. They constantly try to sabotage each other and dislike each other immensely. After a lawnmower race in which Tybalt the Red gnome (voice of Jason Statham) beats the Blue gnome Gnomeo (voice of James McAvoy), Gnomeo and sidekick Benny decide to sneak in by night and vandalise the Red's garden. Meanwhile Juliet (Emily Blunt), protected and thought too fragile by her father Lord Redbrick, is desperate to prove she is otherwise. Gnomeo and Juliet meet, and the rest is history as they say. Of course, the film can't follow the original play exactly - this is a kids movie! It's not a tragedy, it's a comedy. This is where I expected to be let down - I honestly didn't think I would find it funny, but I'm glad to say for the most part, I found this film charming and funny. It could have been funnier, but the younger audience will love it, which is the important thing I suppose. Shakespeare fans will have fun spotting the little references to the Bard's works (including a cleverly worked in quote from Macbeth of all plays). I did. For instance, the owner of the Blue Gnomes is Miss Montague (Romeo's family in the play), while the owner of the Red's is Mr. Capulet (Juliet's last name). The owners themselves hate each other. Spotting the celebrity voices is fun too. Michael Caine is Lord Redbrick, Maggie Smith is Lady Bluebury (I didn't notice this) - I particularly enjoyed Patrick Stewarts brief appearance as a statue of Shakespeare, with whom Gnomeo has a brief conversation. Shakespeare was a smug guy. The voices were all well cast, and the animation is of a good quality. Complimented with a fun Elton John soundtrack (he was an executive producer, go figure), this film is enjoyable, and a good one for the kiddilinks.

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