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Swallows and Amazons
| Released |
19 August 2016 |
| Director |
Philippa Lowthorpe |
| Starring |
Kelly Macdonald, Rafe Spall, Andrew Scott, Jessica Hynes, Richard Bremner, Harry Enfield, Fenella Woolgar, Orla Hill |
| Writer(s) |
Andrea Gibb |
| Producer(s) |
Nick Barton, Nick O'Hagan, Joe Oppenheimer |
| Origin |
United Kingdom |
| Running Time |
100 minutes |
| Genre |
Family |
| Rating |
PG |
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A twee family outing.
If I were to compare Swallows and Amazons to a popular biscuit (a comparison I feel is apt due to its cosy, Sunday teatime aura), it would be a Hobnob. Sweet but wholesome, definitely not your first choice of treat but pleasing in an unexciting kind of way.
Swallows and Amazons is based on a much loved 1930 novel of the same name by Arthur Ransome. By faithfully sticking to the tone of the novel, director Philippa Lowthorpe has created a family film that feels like something of a throwback to simpler times, when children could entertain themselves without the use of an iPad. On the one hand, this is quite refreshing but sadly, despite the presence of Russian spies, gunplay and a group of children in possession of potentially deadly weapons, Swallows and Amazons is resolutely unexciting.
It is summer and young mum Kelly Macdonald is taking her family on holiday from the smoke of the city to the beautiful surroundings of the Lake District. Her four children John, Susan, Tatty and Roger love to go on adventures inspired by the stories of pirates. This summer they plan to camp out on an island but their imagined adventures soon become real when they encounter the surly and suspicious Jim Turner (Rafe Spall), two Russian assassins (led by Andrew Scott) and a rival local gang named The Amazons.
Swallows and Amazons is a handsome and well-made production, full of beautiful shots of the Lake District and good performances from the cast, both young and old. Despite, or perhaps because of this, there is something very televisual about the whole thing; a feeling that is enhanced by the well-loved TV performers that keep popping up in supporting roles (Harry Enfield, Jessica Hynes, Fenella Woolgar and John Henshaw to name a few). If you were to come across this on a vaguely hungover Sunday afternoon, you would have a jolly good time watching it but a big screen outing just doesn't seem necessary.
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Linda O'Brien |
