Gnomeo and Juliet Film Review

Hey again everyone. Time for my second bash at this, and this time I'm reviewing Gnomeo and Juliet. The film is based on the classic Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet (obvious, right?), with reference to many of his other works running through it. It has been tossed about that this film is the English version of Toy Story, however, in my humble opinion; the Toy Story franchise is one that will take a hell of a film to beat! That said, there is an all star line up of top British talent, including some that you wouldn't have imagined in a gnome based film! Michael Caine, James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Jason Statham, and wait for it, Ozzy Osbourne! (He's actually pretty good as a dopey Deer)

The film opens with a shot of semi detached houses, one painted blue, the other painted red. As the shot comes in closer on the houses, we see the mailboxes showing one named Montague, the other named Capulet. There’s also house numbers on there. 2B, and the other has 2B but with a no entry sign painted over (to be or not to be, clever, no?) We see the owners of the houses leaving for their daily routines and whilst they lock their front doors and go to their cars, they are arguing. Shaping up to be pretty bang on of the classic play so far! I won’t go too much into what happens; need to leave something for you to watch.

What I liked about this film was it appeals to adults as well as kids. That’s the beauty of British films; we have a unique sense of humor that Americans just can’t seem to get right! One of the highlights for me was Gnomeo ends up in a park for reasons that I won’t go into, where some kids find him. In true British style, a kid says “Hey a Gnome,” to which his friends respond “looks like your sister!” Sums up the youth of nowadays perfectly.

Now apart from the Shakespearian link, you will also notice that there are a lot of Elton John songs running through the film. This is partly due to the fact that Elton John has produced the film, so kind of has a bit of an influence on it. And in a weird way, it works!
So, if you’re looking for a Gnome based version of a classic play, with a hint of Elton John, you’re in luck! Gnomeo and Juliet is the one for you.

Overall rating: :) :) :) out of 5. Great for the kids, and you’ll get a giggle or 2 yourself.