Young Writers Society

Water for Elephants

Though the title, in all its bland and somewhat silly wording, does not appear to hold much of anything more than another one of the many unsuccessful romance films of 2011, it did not, in fact, prove to be even somewhat as bad as I expected it would be.

Starring Robert Pattinson as the male protagonist Jacob Jankowski, we are jolted straight from the simple life of a young, aspiring vet into the chaotic and often unfair world of the Benzini Brothers Circus. Though the work is hard and the pay is little, the people become instantly very real and familial, especially towards Jacob. When he first lays eyes on the beautiful but ridiculously contained Marlena, played by Reese Witherspoon, he falls instantly in love.

This tale, though originally seen as rather cliche by any person who chanced to see a preview on tv, turned out to be riddled with plot twists and character development that had surprised me in more ways than one. The acting on Pattinson's part was rather good, and the quick comic relief took away from the constant drama that would usually leave people feeling unsatiated and on edge.

The only faults I found with the movie definitely fell on the shoulders of Reese Witherspoon. Her work with the animals seemed guarded unlike the character who was supposed to feel sympathy and compassion. Her emotion was trite. Her feelings did not really come across as what I'm sure we would have wanted it to. That being said, as much as I enjoyed the movie, I did not care so much for Reese's acting.

So, I'm going to have to say that I enjoyed the movie immensely and it rates an 8.9/10.

I WANNA SEE THIS MOVIE SO BAD!!

I highly recommend

The movie was really good. I don't know if you guys read the book or not, but it wasn't a bad interpretation from the book. I know the commercials made it out to be just a love story, but it was much more than that. I actually think that they focused more on the circus life than the love between Jacob and Marlena.

My favorite actor was the one who played August. (I always forget his name) He was amazing! I think August was the best acted character and I wanted to see the next scene just to see him. The character was well played and I loved the acting. I would definitely recommend this movie.