Water For Elephants
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Starring: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz
Director: Francis Lawrence
Ratings: Film: 3/5
Blu-ray: 4/5
Hollywood's always liked a good page-turner it can sink it's teeth into. It's also always loved a good romance, especially if it doesn't run quite so smoothly.
So, imagine the field day someone had when they read Sara Gruen's novel Water for Elephants. Now out on Blu-ray, this might just be an elephant you don't want to forget.
Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob (Robert Pattinson), an ambitious veterinary student who on the eve of taking his final exams becomes an untimely orphan. Forced out of his hope, he joins a travelling circus as their vet and is put in charge of the circus' new star attraction Rosie the elephant.
There he's taken under the wing of ringmaster August (Christoph Waltz) and his striking wife Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), who Jacob immediately falls for.
Water for Elephants is a gorgeous film to watch. Elegant camera work, a beautiful setting and stars with matinee idol good looks, this is a real feast for the eyes. It only gets better when it's in stunning high definition. The dramatic colours of the big top really do make an impression on Blu-ray.
On the subject of matinee idols, the biggest draw for this film is heart-throb R-Pattz putting down the hairspray and glitter and picking up his first real leading role. Despite reservations, he pulls it off. Mostly.
While Pattinson still needs to bring his off-screen charm to his work, Water for Elephants is by far his best performance yet.
He still struggles to really emote and sometimes struggles to carry the film on his own but never really looks out of his depth. Witherspoon too is solid if not spectacular, and the two do have great moments of chemistry which light up the screen.
Even these two superstars are undone by one man though. Christoph Waltz steals the film completely, dominating every scene he's in. It's a hard task to make an elephant seem small, but Waltz doesn't even break into a sweat, with his cruel yet charismatic August both terrifying and compelling throughout.
Overall, Water for Elephants feels like a throwback to an older Hollywood in all the right ways.
With a cracking set of Blu-ray exclusive extras too ranging from a spotlight piece on the elephant to a brief look into the history of the American circus, this is a really good long term package, especially as the film defiantly holds up to multiple viewings.
Water for Elephants is a great way to spend an evening with the girls, or even that special someone. Double it with a bottle of wine and the aforementioned good company, and it's a hard combo to turn down, especially in the stunning quality now available with Blu Ray.
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith