WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Joanna Mccarty Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Tim Kerr-Thomson Obviously the basis of the story is Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" which would be unknown to its targeted kids audience. But unlike the serious original it's a light story with plenty of fun for children. For adults watching it with kids there are plenty of references to Shakespeare's other works to keep you guessing and amused. Kids and Adults alike will also enjoy the soundtrack which is composed of all Elton Johns music played in different ways.

Animated Antic I'll just get this out of the way and say that I'm not a big fan of the works of William Shakespeare's works. I think they're too complex to read and the stories that he writes are sometimes pretty uninteresting. I've tried to read a few of his most famous plays, but sadly I could never get into them. One of those plays I've read was arguably his most famous one of all, the romance "Romeo and Juliet". I've also seen a few film adaptations of it, preferably the 1967 version and the 1996 version, both of which I have oddly enough enjoyed, though it could be because I love film more than literature. Now, we have another adaptation this time with garden gnomes known as "Gnomeo and Juliet" and in all honesty, it's rather forgettable. It's definitely not a bad movie, but there's really nothing under the surface with this film. It didn't really leave much of an impact with me, and here's why.The story like I said is basically Romeo and Juliet with garden gnomes. Essentially, there are two neighbors named Montague and Capulet who despise each other and when they both go out to do their daily business, their garden gnomes come to life. To differentiate which gnomes is owned by which neighbor is pretty easy as the Montague's wear blue and the Capulet's wear Red and also similar to the neighbors, the leading gnomes of each garden (Maggie Smith and Michael Caine) hate each other respectively. I think you can guess what's coming next. The son of the Lady Bluebury, Gnomeo (James McCoy) and the daughter Lord Redbrick, Juliet (Emily Blunt) eventually meet and fall in love while trying to keep their love a secret. It's nothing really special.The movie is just bland. The story goes everywhere you expect it to go and the jokes don't really excite you or do anything you wouldn't expect to happen. They just come and go and are fairly predictable to put lightly. The characters are not especially to go wild about either. Both Gnomeo and Juliet are nice and say some funny things, but don't have anything to stand about them. Even their friends are nothing special. You have Gnomeo's friend Benny (who's modeled after Benvoilio) and Juliet's friend Nanette (who's modeled after her nurse) but both are pretty forgettable. The only character I found myself really enjoying was the character of Featherstone played by the fantastic Jim Cummings. He's a plastic flamingo modeled after Friar Lawrence and actually did have some funny things to say and I was actually legitimately touched by his backstory. Even the animation, I did find nice. It wasn't incredibly good, but it had some good detail and I did like the look of the scenery.Though out of those two things, do I really recommend watching "Gnomeo and Juliet"? Not really. It's mostly a harmless movie that younger children might enjoy, but for those that are above the age of twelve, it's a good film to pass on. There are better adaptations of the famous play out there than this and if I were you, I'd check them out instead of this film.

graves-scott Come on, it's a cute take on the old Romeo and Juliet where the lovers don't need to die. What's wrong with that. For those who think Shakespeare's work shouldn't receive this treatment get over yourself. Shakespeare was a hack writing the equivalent of modern sitcoms for the masses. Calling them classics would be like 300 years from now we call Friends and Cheers classics and we make kids act them out in school plays. Blech. Sure there are some "adult" jokes that the kids either have no idea about or already learned enough from other kids to get. So what, a nod to the parents makes it enjoyable for them as well as the kids. Relax, we've been doing it since the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. In the end if you aren't laughing at the abject silliness and the cuteness of the gnomes you are a soulless monster who needs to stick to Game of Thrones and let the sane people enjoy something funny.

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com There's no need to introduce William Shakespeare or give any kind of history on him. He's a famed writer that has had many of his stories adapted into plays, musicals, TV shows and movies. If you're a real avid fan of Shakespeare, it'll be easier to distinguish various works and see if they were actually used in a story line. The thing is, for anyone who has read Shakespeare's work, it's also quite difficult to feel like it'll be a new experience because the story has already been performed before. Unfortunately, this is one of the films major flaws. The only thing it would be new to are the people who have never even heard of Shakespeare. That's a smaller demographic than the entirety of it.Thankfully, the film addresses this problem in a few ways that does make it enjoyable. First, the fourth wall is broken at the very beginning where a prologue is read to introduce the story. But instead, director Kelly Asbury, a writer who helped in the story of Beauty and the Beast (1991), keeps the story moving. Because the title pretty much speaks for itself, the story takes place in a garden where two conflicting families are of different colored Gnomes. Again, even with all the writers attached to this project, none could really lift the story from being exactly what could be predicted. It's a mix of an adult story with a childlike setting aimed for the younger demographic. It's obvious to the outcome. However, although this is a problem, the writers do cleverly incorporate other themes into the plot as well to help not make the execution feel so direct.An example of this is simulating various elements of our everyday lives into what a Gnome would do. It's not always funny but it is more than it is not. It's also cool that the Gnomes were kept delicate even though they could move. It made them sound more earth like. I although am curious how you could have a fluid moving ceramic simultaneously. The looks of the Gnomes also have a nice image. Most garden gnomes are old and scruffy, but here, even though they have beards, they still look huggable. And of course because they are the main leads, Gnomeo (James McAvoy) and Juliet (Emily Blunt) are a cute couple on screen. The voice cast is another well-established element. Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Jason Statham, Ozzy Osbourne and even Hulk Hogan have a specific part. My favorite was Featherstone, the pink flamingo voice by Jim Cummings. For the Jim Cummings fans, it'll be easy to spot him because he voices Featherstone like that of Bonkers (1993). Very similar. The music had a nice touch. There are several references to Elton John's music, which is cool. One gnome even looks like Elton John. As for the film score, James Newton Howard's music is respective to the scenes that are put on screen but none provide a tune that is memorable by. It is good, but not wowing. A fun family picture with predictability.Because it is based on a Shakespeare work, it becomes predictable almost immediately. However this doesn't stop it from entertaining its audience. The voice cast is fun along with its unique setting and likable characters.