Around the World in 80 Days (2004) MPAA Rating: PG Entertainment: +3 Content: +1

This adventure comedy is a Disney remake of the Jules Verne classic set in 1872. Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan) is an eccentric London inventor ridiculed by his pears. After bringing one of his inventions to the Royal Academy of Science, he is mocked and then challenged to accomplish a stunt to travel around the world in 80 days. If he succeeds, the head of the academy (Jim Broadbent) will step down and Phileas will become the new leader of the academy. If he fails, he must retire, destroy his laboratory and never practice his trade again. The stakes are high, but he accepts the challenge accompanied by his assistant Passepartout (Jackie Chan) who is being pursued by the law for stealing a rare, jade Buddha. Along the way, they join up with a starving artist (Cecile De France). On their journey around the world via boats, trains, balloons and elephants, the three encounter plenty of adventures. Also starring John Cleese, Kathy Bates and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

At a rather lengthy 120 minutes, this film moves at a rapid pace with all of the action. After all of these years, Jackie Chan is still fun to watch as he spins, juggles, fights and somersaults his way out of jams. Chan, who built his reputation by performing all of his own stunts, displays his typical martial arts and slapstick humor. The story emphasizes the importance of friendship, loyalty and doing what is right even when inconvenient or unpopular. Sadly, this film has some negatives. There are some instances of crude humor. For instance, a knife is thrown and lands on the crotch of a man in a painting. And a man who is incarcerated is accused of urinating in public and upon release is briefly shown unzipping his pants. There are also a few occurrences of bad language. These elements are not strong enough to earn a negative acceptability rating, but Preview recommends this movie for the family with caution.

Preview Reviewer: Alan Boyer
Distributor: Walt Disney