I vaguely remember this coming out. I wasn't blown away by it, but there's apparently a large underground of fan art so clearly some people liked it.Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) comes into possession of a map that leads to the treasure of the notorious pirate, Captain Flint. He and his loyal friend Doctor Doppler (David Hyde Pierce) hire a ship to travel to the planet. Captain Amelia (Emma Thompson) doesn't care for the rather seamy crew and forbids mention of the treasure, relegating Jim to cabin boy and putting him in the care of the ship's cook, John Silver (Brian Murray).
This is obviously an update/reimagining of Treasure Island and it's not horrible, but it has a number of issues. One of the things that made Long John Silver such a compelling character in the novel is his ambiguity. He takes care of Jim, sure, but his motives are never 100% clear and by the end Jim is the stronger for having to question this authority figure. The movie removes all gray areas, portraying Silver as a gruff, crusty figure with a heart of gold, who clearly sees Jim as a surrogate son. It just felt like the stakes were so much lower.
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