Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)

Rating: 3/5 stars

Retains the flavor of Twain's beloved characters while also providing a good origin story for subsequent endeavors. If only the plot had more coherence, the direction was more solid, and some scenes did not seem rushed, this one had the chutzpah to go down as a rip-roaring, swashbuckling, classic adventure film. As it is, this version of Sawyer and Finn does have enough steam to make us invest time in the characters and also introduce today's generation to two classic American heroes from two of the greatest American novels.

The canvas harks back to a bygone era, and the set pieces are authentic along with successfully evoking a sense of nostalgia. The adventure unfolds as Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn – Tom's friend from the streets – witness a murder in the graveyard. Tom and Huck flee to Jackson Island and make a pact never to tell anyone about the incident. However, when the good-natured Muff Potter, who has been blamed for the murder is sentenced to death by hanging, Tom breaks his promise and returns to exonerate Muff Potter. In jun Joe, the actual murderer, makes a hasty exit from the courtroom during the trial. A short time later, Tom and Huck find references to a treasure and have to face In jun Joe again.

The film is also quite a faithful adaptation of Twain's first great novel, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", and includes the whitewash episode, puppy love, the graveyard murder, the boys' running away to Jackson's Island, the salvation of Muff Potter, and the cave adventure. The ensemble cast, especially the two titular leads, does a fine job of reinterpreting Twain's classic characters, now part of global folklore. Val Kilmer surprisingly does quite a good Twain in his cameo and voice-over.

Quintessentially Sawyer and Finn in spirit, though not in reach, the film heralds a hopeful dawn of a faithful, long overdue, rendition of two of the most sublime adventure novels ever penned.

The positives: 1. Another fine performance from the boy who plays in Super 8. 2. Great soundtrack. Really. It doesn't seem to fit this film. The negatives: 1. Poor screenplay. Dialogue tries to be faithful to time period but comes off very odd and wooden/ artificial. 2. Poor casting. Outside of the main character of Tom, every other actor seems destined to play in B movies. 3. Poor editing. No doubt due to (1) above, but the editing was choppy, in large part due to a choppy storyline / script. 4. Poorly synced voice overs (see #5). 5. Poor casting. The teacher has a jarringly odd, non-Midwestern accent (German?) which simply pulls the viewer out of the movie. Becky is a fine actress but is just not well cast to this Tom. The judge clearly never voices a single line; everything is (poorly) dubbed for this Bulgarian actor. 6. Dialogue tried to be faithful to the time period but failed. Toward the end, I believe Tom even says "fudge" for "fu--." Dialogue /scripting was just very artificial. 7. Storyline was methodical but never natural. Things "happened." But it never flowed. 8. Some scenes of the Mississippi were shot on 16 mm (or poorer quality film stock) and inserted into the movie, but they don't integrate well. 9. Narratives of Mark Twain (Val Kilmer) interrupt the story, and, while they introduce a novel concept to the storyline, simply feel odd/off to story progression. In short, this really felt like a C movie (not even a B movie) in caliber, due to uneven production value.

I usually watch modern versions of classic tales with great trepidation, having discovered that the simplicity of great books and old movies is destroyed by a total lack of charm and too much phoniness through the overabundance of computer generated animation. The casting too is usually based upon whoever is hot at the time, regardless if they are right for the part or not. In the case of this modern version of two Mark Twain classics, it has a lot going for it, sharing the joy of classic literature from the moment that Tom Sawyer makes his first appearance, showing joy at the sight of the Mississippi river. So it's not perfect, but I wasn't expecting anything to improve on the 1930 version starring Jackie Cooper or the technicolor version starring Tommy Kelly.

As Tom, Joel Courtney is an absolute charmer, completely in tune with the character, and totally perfect in the time period. Jake T. Austin tries too hard to be "the cool kid", often rapping his lines, which is out of place with the classic Americana feel. But he's perfect in comparison to Katherine McNamara as Becky Thatcher who seems like she should be in "High School Musical" (actually college musical) than the mid-late 1800's. The supporting cast isn't perfect as an ensemble, with the male school master extremely effeminate, a rather cool Aunt Polly, and famous characters not at all giving off a Midwest feel.

But the music score is excellent, the photography breathtaking and the presentation of already familiar adventures really exciting. With modern sensibilities, this could be a great way to interest young audiences in classic literature. If only they had realized with all the recent Grimm Fairy Tale ripoffs and the two "Alice in Wonderland" tales that less is more. If this shows anything important, it's the value of friendship and the adventures one can find as a kid, no electricity or batteries needed.