Stay away from JACK FROST.
This is a film that is in such need of soul that... well I was left heartbroken afterwards. How could the filmmakers make a film about magic in a world that felt so unmagical.
I’ve been dying to see this film since I read that Sam Raimi was involved. I remember back when George Clooney was Frosty. I remember hearing it was a bit dark, like all fairy tales should be, and then... BAM... Sam Raimi jumped ship, and so did Clooney.
Then WARNERS went after a director to replace Sam Raimi on the project... I’ve never heard what caused Sam to leave. They got Troy Miller.
Who?
Well, if memory serves, he’s the fella that directed that Nissan commercial with the GI JOE and BARBIE that was just too damn cool a long while back. I remember when they announced him as director I got a bit excited. Why? Because...well I liked that commercial. It was a bit magical.
Then they announced Michael Keaton in the role, well, that’s certainly cool. But then they announced Kelly Preston.. well that was when I got worried. Ya see, Kelly’s one of them actresses that looks just gorgeous up there on screen. Wonderful tan, gorgeous bust, beautiful face, fantastic figure... but... well her eyes just don’t exude love and caring and worry and fear to me. Often times when she’s trying, I get the idea that she’s attempting to fix her focus on something off frame and is counting the seconds till “CUT” is screamed.
Then I heard the pudgy fella from THE FULL MONTY was cast and well... that got me back positive again. I knew that the children in the film would have to be fantastic.
I hated this film. And the more I think about it, the larger the turd I think it is. Don’t get me wrong, the snowman is cool, but he’s completely alone in this flick.
At one point Keaton’s Snowman asks the question of why he was placed in this form.
It’s never answered.
FILMMAKERS. Note: When creating a fantasy film never voice a question that then becomes the foundation of the character then ignore it. You see, the question is not only not answered, but never again addressed.
So, we’re left to ponder that question, but because there are NO OTHER MAGICAL ELEMENTS TO THE FILM... well we still don’t know why Michael Keaton was a Snowman. There are no flying reindeer or a Santa Claus or an evil magician or an evil Snowman. There just really isn’t much of any type of conflict in the film.
Overall it seems the message is this, “We need to teach our children to play hockey before our spirits can rest.”
That sucks.
Also this film is fairly ugly. László Kovács certainly knows how to shoot a very nice looking movie, but here they’d have a nice beautiful matte painting sky of beautiful orange hues, but the vast middle to foregroud would be normal daytime-like lighting, then in the immediate fore-ground the characters would have a orange gel lighting their faces. MY GOD IT LOOKED TERRIBLE.
It made me wish for Gene Kelly to come in and take us to that stage in SINGING IN THE RAIN where a beautiful backdrop is combined with just the right amount of lighting to create the perfect atmosphere.
I mean for crissakes how do you make the Colorado Rocky Mountains look flat and uninteresting?
But that’s a technical problem. In addition this whole film is basically ripped straight out of THE MIGHTY DUCKS, but instead of Emilio Estevez, imagine a Snowman teaching the star kid how to play hockey. Oh, but then throw out any and all charm the kids may have together.
I hate whiney kids in movies. I hate films filled with stupid adults. I hate this movie.
Oh, then the biggest key to a great magical film, the score, well it just sucks. Terrible.
Rent the Rankin/Bass Christmas TV specials.... they’re better by miles. This film just hurts.
I was left depressed after the film. Why? Because every single cliche in the book was there. The ending is soooooooooooooooo painfully awful that I took off my glasses and began massaging the temples on the sides of my head. A pounding rip-roaring headache inducing pile of garbage. BEWARE. Go see MIGHTY JOE YOUNG instead.... Go see PRINCE OF EGYPT instead. Take your little tot to see THE THIN RED LINE instead, just don’t waste your time with this.
I would have loved to have seen Henson and ILM’s work go into a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar better film. Tis sad. I mean imagine a snowman that was a Jazz musician by trade... and he has no soul. Saaaaaaaaad!!!!!
