Mio in the Land of Faraway

This largely unknown film is okay, although flawed. Has influences from several countries, as it isn't a one-nationality movie, which makes it a mix of cultures and film-making (for good and for bad). Not just this, it also heavily "drank" inspiration from other fantasy movies in details.

This is one of those films that make me wanna be taken to a world of fantasy, especially now when things only get worst every year. If that could be possible, that would be an excellent escape from reality. I am pretty sick of reality and probably many of us are.

The cinematography is astonishing and so is the pan flute music (including a song which was composed by ABBA's former members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus - 'Mio my Mio', performed by the Swedish band Gemini).

As it was said in another review, the film doesn't deliver a lot of action, but to compensate it offers decent amounts of adventure, although without being too intense or exciting. The main villain is creepy and so are his intentions and way of talking. But he doesn't have that much of a role, so he ends up seeming less scary that he is.

Nicholas Pickard and Christian Bale steal the show as the main actors, both in double roles, but still Christian Bale is the best of the two. Nicholas Pickard is not a familiar name to most (myself included). However, Christian Bale soon would become a famous and highly praised actor. Christian Bale starred in 'Empire of the Sun' in the same year as this (1987) and that was when he began to draw attentions from the public and press thanks to his amazing performance. He grew up to be a successful adult with a successful career, even if he's not as good as he was when younger.

In each of the two roles played by these boys, they are good friends. Actually, their friendship is very sincere and humble. They have mutual respect and help each other. Whatever happened to friendships like this these days, when everything is so changed for worst that almost nothing seems to make sense any longer?

When I saw this film when I was but a little girl, I loved it. I loved the music (and still do), I loved the characters, everything about it. I re-watched it yesterday (I'm now fourteen), and all I could say was "Meh."

It certainly isn't great, but it still has a feeling to it that I adore. The special effects are shabby, the script is a little off and trite and the lack of logic bothers me. But it's still a nice film that's worth watching. But if you can, watch the Swedish dub. It makes it more logical then.

But I haven't been able to find it since I was about ten years old, which was eight years ago. Still, I remember that I was awed by the invisibility cloak, have the "Mio, my Mio" tune stuck in my head now in then - the one that gets played on the pipes sticks there too at times - and frightened by the ending battle scene. and children being turned to crows, and the bread, and...ok, I'm going to stop before I give away too many things. A great movie to see if you ever find it.

The 80s saw a decade of some really good fantasy films, films like NeverEnding Story, Princess Bride, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Legend. Mio in the Land of Faraway is not one of the great fantasy films from a personal standpoint(there are some great ones from other decades too), however it does deserve better recognition than it does. The script can get stilted and childish, not all the special effects are great(for example the floating head is a memorable image, but you need to decide for yourself whether it's for the right reasons) and Timothy Bottoms doesn't have that much to do. It is a very beautiful-looking film though, the photography is simple but sweeping, the costumes are appropriate and there are some special effects that are quite good. But visually it is the lighting and sets that are the real revelations. The lighting is especially good in the darker moments, with the firelight and shadows as said already there is a real sense of creepiness, and the sets are so wondrously constructed with a striking contrast of lush and elegant for Faraway, dark and eerie for the dark moments and drab for Earth. Along with the visuals, the other big standout was the music, a score that is so beautifully soothing on the ears but it also haunts the mind, as any score for a good vs. evil film should do. The story sets itself up carefully and has all the right elements for fantasy and a tale of good vs. evil. There is the bullying angle that is easy to identify with, and the film is successful in drawing the inner child within you into the world that the characters inhabit. From an archetypal view, the characters are familiar to us but they are still engaging enough. The acting is fine, Nick Pickard and particularly Christian Bale are excellent in the lead roles and while one might wish that Christopher Lee were introduced into the film earlier, considering an actor of his calibre, he is an appropriately menacing villain of the piece. To conclude, very nice film, not without areas of improvement but should be better known. Once you look past the flaws and see the many merits there are, and judge the film on its own terms rather than a book vs. film comparison it might help to enjoy it more(mind you, there is emphasis on might to save the risk of ignorance), while it does help you don't necessarily have to be somebody who grew up perceiving it as a lifelong childhood favourite to like Mio in the Land of Faraway. 8/10 Bethany Cox

As a 40 year-old man, childrens fantasy films usually aren't my first (or even second) choice of movies. I ran across this film on Disney years ago, and videotaped it. It is a good escape to childhood fantasies (especially from someone who had a rough childhood and who often wished something like this would have happened for real!) I loved the music also. If you have kids and see this one, grab it. If you had a childhood you longed to escape from, see it, too. The production values were excellent, also.