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19 reviews in total

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9 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
A thoroughly enjoyable mini-series., 24 August 2003

Author: jordans51 from Ellicott City, Maryland

In my opinion this mini-series is far superior to the much praised 1956 movie starring David Niven. Pierce Brosnan is excellent as the unflappable Phileas Fogg, and Eric Idle is superb as Passepartout. The action moves from one cliff-hanger to the next, much in the fashion of a old-time Saturday matinee serial, and the story is always entertaining. The developing love interest between Fogg and the princess (Julia Nickson) is also handled well.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
A fun and satisfyingly enjoyable adaptation, 24 April 2005

Author: gwdaley-1 from United Kingdom

Having read the book several times and being a real fan of this and other Verne novels, not to mention, travel in general I can wholeheartedly recommend this movie. If you have read the book and enjoy watching movies then hire, borrow or buy this film if you would like to see a fairly faithfully adapted version of the book starring an agreeable cast and featuring a varied number of far flung and pretty faithful looking locations. Brosnan may be a little younger than the Fogg I'd seen in my minds eye when reading but he performs very well and is suitably dashing and stiff upper lipped where he should be whilst also exhibiting a believably self-conscious even shy air around the very beautiful Julia Nickson. She plays her part very well also and the only negative comment I can make is that she isn't very Indian looking. But that isn't a problem, she looks wonderful anyway. Eric Idle and Peter Ustinov provide the comedy, the former giving rise to a number of laugh out loud moments for those of us with a sense of humour and being on the whole, very enjoyable to watch. Ustinov provides a few light hearted moments also, but I will admit he is a little to hammy for my liking, mumbling and shrieking a little too much. The cameos are right out of a who's who of 80's TV and it was fun to see some old TV favourites, such as Quincy's Jack Klugman, popping up in unexpected places. As previously mentioned the locations impress. And I wasn't disappointed, for example having been to Hong Kong myself on several occasions the sampans and the junks were set in a location that looked to me just as I'd imagined the now heavily built up modern city to have looked in the 1800s. The extras too look suitably indigenous to the parts of the world our heroes are passing through.

So on the whole if you are looking for a movie that relays a sense of travel, a sense of adventure, a strong element of romance and above all a real honest sense of fun - just as the book did - then seek out this movie. It may have taken a few liberties here and there and it does take a few scenes from the Niven version that didn't appear at all in the book, but it still relates the story as told by Verne and in my opinion it does it very well indeed. Some would have you believe that it doesn't bare much resemblance to the book and is poorly acted but this is patently untrue. Its a great version and well worth the five odd hours of my time.

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Excellent Intro for students, 25 February 2009

Author: homerj07-1 from United States

I have always tried to figure out why people pan a film simply because it was "not like the book".

I agree this mini-series is not as true to Verne's vision as other movies BUT it is an excellent introduction to Vernes & the late 19th century for students.

I have used this movie in my 9th grade World History classes & my students absolutely LOVE it. Over 3 weeks we watch the film track their progress on a map & keep track of the various modes of transportation that the main characters use.

We also discuss the role of Britian as an imperialist power & the growing importance of the US in the world.

I suggest this film for teachers & for families with middle school aged children. A great film!!

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Television tackling Verne, 24 January 2007

Author: theowinthrop from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is the 1989 miniseries with Pierce Brosnan and Eric Idle that retold the story of the 1872 Jules Verne novel that was the subject of the 1956 Mike Todd film that won the Oscar for Best Picture that year. The 1956 film is a little better than this because of Todd's showmanship and the work of Cantaflas and Robert Newton (and David Niven and Shirley Maclaine). But the 1956 film is not as great as it seemed in 1956 - the cameo performances which helped bring many people to see that film now seem a curiosity to modern film audiences who may not know who A.E. Matthews or Col. Tim McCoy were.

This version has it's weaknesses too. Although Brosnan and Idle are quite good, the best is Ustinov as a fat-headed Detective Fix (even in his final moments in the film his last revelation of "genius" is like an annoying gift of a migraine headache). But the mini - series tried to up-date (or back-date) the film a little with dollops of reality. So Louis Pasteur, Sarah Bernhardt, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Jessie and Frank James pop up in the film. Verne would not have liked that - he prided himself on his ability to invent characters (as all novelists do). None of the changes were necessary.

Still it has some rewarding aspects. Robert Morley (who was in the 1956 film as an official of the Bank of England, and a member of the Reform Club) reappears here as a more eccentric looking head of the Bank of England (abetted by Roddy MacDowell as his assistant). In the novel's plot, Fogg is suspected of being a man who robbed the Bank of England. In the end Morley and MacDowell meet this gentleman (he does not appear in the 1956 film) and finds he is a very weird thief indeed. Also, there is a choice moment when (while traveling across the U.S. by train) Fogg/Brosnan starts giving his low opinion of America's treatment of it's Native American tribes as organized theft, degradation, and destruction. Unfortunately, in talking about the American Indians, he raises the interest of Princess Aouda, a genuine Indian from India. And she starts bringing up some pointed comments about another Anglo-Saxon country's treatment of Indians. This was not in the novel or in the 1956 film, but it was nice to see that Aouda for a change had a mind of her own - and could be critical and even a little icy toward Phileas (Brosnan's embarrassment and apologizing is priceless).

For all it's defects, the television version was well worth watching too.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
The best version, 21 June 2011

Author: TheLittleSongbird from United Kingdom

The book by Jules Verne is a masterpiece, and of all the three versions of it I've seen(this, 1956 and 2004) in my opinion this mini-series is the best version. There are some scenes that are not in the book, but they didn't bother me, they were just as entertaining as the ones that were. I had no problem with the length either, to give the book justice I personally think it works better as a mini-series. On its own terms, the mini-series is very entertaining too. The costumes, photography, geographical locations and sets are wonderful, the various scenes and going-ons are consistently entertaining and interesting completely with some fun references to various historical figures and the writing is excellent and has the feel of Verne's style too. The acting is right on the money, Pierce Brosnan and Eric Idle are both superb, and spotting familiar faces such as Robert Morley, Roddy McDowell and Peter Ustinov is a sheer delight in itself. All in all, excellent mini-series and for me the best version, if more deserving of a better DVD. 9/10 Bethany Cox

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Very good adaptation, too bad the DVD is not worth it, 15 December 2005

Author: miguelangel-23 from fayetteville, North Carolina

Very enjoyable adaptation of the Jules Verne Novel.

Around the world in 80 days. Pierce Brosnan is fantastic in his role of the inventor and scientist Phileas Fogg. The cast is superb and the photography fantastic. Far better production that the new adaptation with Jacky Chan on it. Unfortunaly when finally after a very long wait the DVD came up, what a disappointment, the DVD simply sucks, no production notes, or special features or anything at all, besides, the quality of the image is at the very least 1/10. The poorest I've ever seen in a long time. I mean if you are going to produce something, put a little heart on it. I hope we can very soon enjoy this mini series in its complete extend, with a special edition DVD.

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6 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Excellent miniseries, 31 October 2004
Author: ShelbyTMItchell from Seymour Tennessee

This is a great miniseries for the whole entire family. Pierce Brosnan doing a Bond/Remington Steele as Fogg from a kind of cold-hearted but then caring Englishman making the legendary journey. Rambo and Babylon Five's Julia Nickson beautiful as the princess. The great and late Peter Ustinov in one of his fine performances. But the person to steal the show is Eric Idle of Monty Python as the caring and resourceful as well as comic relief Jean Passepartout. He played Passepartout as a frenchman and also was really the star but gave way to Pierce/Fogg. Idle is the real, real star. And the mini series is like the book. Unlike the Jackie Chan movie and David Niven. More like follows and stick closely to the Jules Verne novel!

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Finest representation ever and school example of director's direction over actors that need tight control to perform their best., 8 September 2007

Author: Volken

After all this years - since the very first time I've watched this version in 1989. - yesterday the test of time confirmed and secured my original impression : This is by far the best version ever !

There is always the problem when you hire a good looking actor with tension of maintaining the ego-trip of his own, besides the character he portrays. Pierce Brosnan is one of those actors. In hands of poor director, Brosnan will always extend this virtue without exception. Well, not this time, this is Pierce's best role ever. This is the school example when in good and precise hands under control of fine director - one man's faults are completely used to his advantage. Fulfilling his complete talent.

Pierce is completely available, accessible and truly enjoyable.

Not only does he makes splendid Phileas Fogg but essentially greatly communicates to the splendor of entire ensemble and therefore none but the excellent realization itself.

Quality of production is first rate, casting even more superb. There is one, almost traditional problem with traveling productions like these : You can always observe "production stitches" among countries and collaboration among locations and collaborators. Not in this version you don't !

From beginning to the end, production follows from location to location with flawless synergy, only complimenting the ones before. Truly a wonderful , relaxing experience, indisputably with superb execution. I thought in 1989. It would be a bold statement to compare this with original. Now I know it is nothing of the sort. This version is indisputably, the finest visual representation of this book. Not completely on the track with all characters from the book - for they received somewhat different treatment. But I forgive this looking at the complete results.

Looking somewhat with envy to the magic of 80's, one can be certain that such a classy ensemble and relaxed pace is almost impossible to create these days. Golden days to be sure.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Great adaption, great actors, 16 October 2004

Author: (dkiltz)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

*Potential spoilers*

I guess I'm echoing what others have written. This is truly a 'classic' adaption of the book. The characters are, of course, a little over-painted, but that's supposed to be so. It doesn't rely on slap-stick gags or the like but is extremely funny nevertheless. The key story, namely that of Mr. Fogg finally getting out of his corset of punctuality and distance, facilitated by the unconditional devotion of Passepartout and love of the Princess is being put to the audience in a remarkably unpretentious and delicate way. Excellent!

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
One my favorite classics with Pierce Brosnan, 7 April 2000
Author: Samir Chowdhury from Ankara

A very enjoying and interesting series to tell Jules Vernes great novel. Pierce Borsnan makes a brilliant Fogg, and the rest of cast is equally good.

The Brosnan just gives a new dimension to the character described by Jules Verne, and with his similar physical features to the character of the novel.

Just as Brosnan has the remarkable resemblance of James Bond as describe in Ian Flemmings novels.

Nice for the whole family to watch.

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