Shipwrecked (1990)

The Worst Film Ever

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

This production of Shipwrecked truly went the corner of the globe for its cinematography. The story took us from Norway, to London, to Sydney and then to the South Seas. Appropriately we got location shooting in the United Kingdom, Spain, Norway, and Fiji.I'm sure in Norway the novel Haakon Haakonsen was thoroughly enjoyed by boys of all ages. Young Stian Smestad plays the title role in Shipwrecked about a kid whose injured father cannot take on a sea voyage and his lack of payment guarantee will force the family off their farm. So young Haakon takes dad's place on the ship and first port of call is London.Where they pick up a new mate in Gabriel Bryne, arguably the only cast member you might know. He's not what he seems, he's as much an honest sailor and Lieutenant in the British navy as Long John Silver was a cook. In fact he's in the same profession as Silver and like in Treasure Island in Sydney he gets a few of his fellow pirates on board the ship as crew. They also pick up a stowaway in Louisa Millwood-Haigh who is an orphan trying to get to Calcutta and an uncle.From Treasure Island we now get a bit of Robinson Crusoe when after a fight Smestad is marooned on a tropical island. If you know both classic novels you know how this will turn out.Disney Studios released this in America and small wonder that they chose this property to put under their banner. It's a good adventure story for kids with some really nice color cinematography of the South Seas. Young Smestad comes off like a real kid not a Hollywood juvenile. And Gabriel Byrne is the kind of villain you love to see get his. Unlike Treasure Island this don't bond with this kid.

I haven't seen this movie since the 2nd grade, so I can only speak from the perspective of a child. It was an amazing movie, and I can still remember the villain well. It was suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat. That being said, sure: if I were to see it again today I might see small flaws in the acting and/or plot, but the key here is that it captures the imaginations of children, which was its purpose. I am not rating this movie since I have not seen it for 12 years.

OK, it is not the greatest film of the century. OK, the characters are not so very three-dimensional, OK, they do not develop very much through the film, OK, the end is as predictable as the one of "Cinderella". But it really does not matter. I watched 'Håkon Håkonsen' with kids and they loved it - they kept talking about it for a long time after we had finished. To my considerable surprise, I found myself greatly amused too. It is a family film in the true sense of the word, it has a hero and a heroine and a bad guy - perfectly cast with a chilling Gabriel Byrne - lots of action and adventure, humor, serious moments, and a happy ending. In a sense it resembles some Disney productions, but lacks the slightly superficial, American touch. It is a good film, a good story, created by people who want to tell children a fairy-tale and who knows how to do so. Recommended.

This film could have and should have been better. The acting by the main characters is horrible. Hakon and Jens seem too self-conscious throughout the whole film. The girl is bad too. Unfortunately we don't see too much of her. Gabriel Byrne and the other supporting actors are ok. The plot points and action reek of Disney. The story is too wholesome for the subject matter. Oh well. I shouldn't expect too much from a Disney action/family adventure.