Jasper Jones (2017) Reviews

• Uneven storytelling makes the whole feel less than the sum of its parts

  DJKwa2017-06-12

  Craig Silvey's bestselling novel Jasper Jones has been lauded for its deft exploration of racial tensions and small town prejudices through the lens of a coming of age tale and a who-dun-it mystery. While the big screen adaptation, which Silvey co-scripted, retains much of what made the novel a hit, its loosely structured narrative doesn't translate quite as effectively on the silver screen. Set in the small mining town of Corrigan, Western Australia in 1969, Jasper Jones tells the story of bookish 13 year old, Charlie Bucktin (Levi Miller). One night an Aboriginal boy by the name of Jasper Jones taps on his bedroom window asking for help. Startled by his sudden appearance but persuaded by his desperate pleading, Charlie agrees to follow Jasper into the woods to the gruesome sight of a dead young girl hanging on a tree branch. Jasper makes it clear to Charlie that he didn't kill the girl and reveals that he was in a relationship with her. The only problem is that he doesn't want to go to the police for fear that their racist attitude will see him unjustly blamed for her death. Charlie, who believes Jasper and is eager to help him, agrees to hide the body in a pond nearby and to keep their discovery a secret. Unfortunately what should have been a good set-up for a mystery film lacks one crucial element: there's no reason to suspect foul play in regards to the girl's death. When we first see Laura's body hanging from the tree, there's a more obvious conclusion to be made. Jasper instead begins to make up stories surrounding her death and centers on the idea that an old recluse, Mad Jack Lionel (played by the excellent but criminally underused Hugo Weaving), must have murdered her. Charlie believes Jasper, as there have been rumours that the old man has done bad things in the past, but there's not enough reason for the audience to suspect the old man's involvement in matters. The suspicion surrounding her death seems only to exist only in the eyes of the children and this robs the film of much of its tension, particularly towards the end of the film when the kids finally decide to confront Mad Jack. However, the confrontation still ends up being the stand out moment in the film as it results in some startling revelations about Jasper Jones as a character. It's a well-crafted dramatic scene that is only undermined by its lack of cohesion with the rest of the film. For most of its running time, the film weaves together a collection of different subplots and side stories revolving around Charlie's life, including his parent's rocky marriage and his growing feelings towards local girl Eliza (Angourie Rice). Jasper only periodically intersects with the narrative and he remains a largely passive character, disappearing for large swathes of the film at a time. When the ending sharply puts the focus back on him, it feels forced and disjointed; not allowing the revelation to hit with the devastating impact the film is clearly striving for. That's not to say that the film doesn't have its moments but overall Jasper Jones feels like an amalgamation of disparate parts that only come together under the broad hat of a coming of age story. There's a bit of everything: a touch of mystery, a pinch of comedy mixed in with a bit of family drama and racial tension. While parts of it work well, they never really come together cohesively, making the whole feel less than the sum of its parts.

• A mystery surrounding a girl's death.

  Reno-Rangan2017-12-14

  An Australia's murder mystery set in a small town. The film was based on the novel of the same name. Starred by the next generation Aussie actors like Levi Miller and Angourie Rice. But the film was not what I had expected. Just okayish. Not at first glance I liked it, because I thought it was a little out of common sense, even from the kid's perspective. I don't blame the entire film, but the opening. Too intentional and right away jumped into the suspense. This is a children's film, the story of teenagers, and a mystery surrounding the death of a girl. After the unconvinced start, not even the end brought any consolation. Though it could have been for just me. That's what I felt. So according to me, only the mid parts held the film for me to look for something in the later. All it had was the wonder characters and the storyline. The rest of the film failed to stretch with the best developments. Definitely a good tale for literature, but for a film, to witness everything on the visuals, it needed more detail. Only if it had depth, I would have found it a better film. The story that happened in the holiday week that comes between the Christmas and the New Year. In a fictional Aussie town called Corrigan, a young Charlie was approached by Jasper in the middle of the night. Later he comes to know Jasper's girlfriend has been murdered. Now they are set to find who did it and why bofore the athorities do! The following days are crucial for both of them as the whole town is terrified by the incident. When the time comes to the truth, the secrets were revealed just before the film's end. -xX] You're just like her, your mother. You're peas in a pod, you two. [Xx- There was a little distraction like the Vietnam war, racism. All the above, the character Jasper Jones seemed an imagination of Charlie. Because of his secret appearance, but that did not last long. Yet the murder mystery always stayed top of the film topic. When the end revealed everything, that reminded me the films of 60-70 years ago. The timeline for this film too was in the same period, precisely 1969. The locations were awesome, the cinematography should be appreciated. I thought the Jeffrey was an under-used or unrequired character, until the cricket match scene that's dedicated to him. Following it, what happened to his family was a nice flow of the story. Charlie's family too, the issue of the parents, crisis is their marriage. As I said, the film had ingredient, but did not cook properly. The reviewers, the film critics comparing it to some of the classics like 'To Kill a Mockingbird' to 'Stand By Me'. But I would say, it is too late to come to get equal status of those films. It was just an above average, but if it came in the 80s or 90s, surely would have been a gem and changed the Australian filmdom. Despite the film title, the story was narrated by Charlie, the one who developed an unexpected relation in the most extreme situation with Jasper Jones. Apart from one worst week of his life, he also finds his first love. A coming-of-age film, worth a watch, but no doubt that it should have better. Not sure if the majority would like it or dislike it, but it is once watchable film. Finally, it got nominated for the Australian Academy Awards for this year (2017) in six categories, sadly it had won nothing. I hope that should not be a reason for you to skip it! 6/10

• Moving and relevant

  Screenwriter109876543212017-03-17

  When a bookish teenager helps solve a mystery death to avoid his aboriginal friend being blamed, he digs deep to find the courage to sort out the mess of his family and friends' lives. Set in a rural 1960s town, a young Levi Miller takes a worthy turn at a Mark Twain style hero who, sustained by a childhood wonder about important things like Batman's superpowers, is caught up in a tragedy which uncovers far more about the dark nature of people than any child should know. Toni Collete as a depressed mother and Hugo Weaving as a the town's recluse give the story emotional depth, and director Rachel Perkin brings out the simmering malevolence in an everyday setting. Based on a contemporary novel, the casual racism and intolerance is particularly relevant to our times. Worth seeing for- Levi Miller & Hugo Weaving. 8/10

• A good family movie (from a ever dwindling supply)

  eyefordetail2017-07-30

  These days you have a hard time to select a movie to watch as a family. With the moral fiber of the world worn thin and the moral compass of the industry spinning out of control, it is good to find a gem ever so often. And where better to find it than Australia. I took note of the other reviews being a little from Aussie to Aussie, so I just had to break borders and rate from across the sea, albeit it still in the Southern Hemisphere. (I am sure that a Christmas tree in summer must seem a bit odd to the Northern viewers, but we are very comfortable with that, thankyouverymuch. The movie is very well acted and has the two talented youngsters Angourie Rice and Levi Miller supported by none other than Toni Collette (big fan) and Hugo Weaving. And I mean supported. They do not take center stage in this coming-of-age drama. The story is well told and the elements of racial tension and bias is well crafted and well resolved. 1969, and even if Australia is a world away, the world intrudes. We all enjoyed the movie tremendously, and even though it deals with adult topics, it makes it accessible for all ages. If you want an easy watching movie with the family, this is a good pick. You will be surprised.

• Australian Indie is Engaging

  larrys32018-05-27

  Set in the small Western Australian town of Corrigan, in 1969, this Australian indie has loads of concurrent themes abounding, including a murder mystery, the blatant racism of the time, sexual molestation, infidelity, loyalty, friendship, and the list goes on. Although the film may have thrown "one iron into the fire" too many, I still found it to be quite engaging, and it kept my interest as to how this would all play out. There's a strong cast here as well, led by Levi Miller, Toni Collette, Angourie Rice, Aaron McGrath, and Dan Wylie. Overall, this coming-of-age tale, directed by Rachel Perkins, with a screenplay by Shaun Grant and Craig Silvey, based on his novel, may not always work, but it contains some solid twists and surprises and it kept my interest throughout.