It's truly amazing, but writer/director Andrew Adamson takes so many interesting elements that could have potentially made a great story and flattens them out so they are dull and boring. Perhaps this is the fault of the novel, I don't know having never read it, but on it's own Mr. Pip stands as a mediocre piece of art which is quite sad as it has an explosive backdrop and some quite lovely things to say. Matilda Naimo (newcomer Xzannjah Matsi) lives on the island of Bougainville in the early 90s, during a vicious struggle for independence. Most of the men, including Matilda's father have fled overseas along with all the white population, with the exception of one white man, known familiarly as Popeye to the locals, who remains to take care of his wife, a native Bougainvillean named Grace. A blockade is imposed to starve out the rebels meaning their are no teachers and fewer resources. Despite not being a teacher, Popeye (real name Mr. Watts), decides to educate the local children, mostly by reading to them from Great Expectations. His eye is quickly caught by Matilda who is a whiz at math (something brought up once and then abruptly dropped), and she warms to him because she immediately strongly connects with the story of Great Expectations and the protagonist Pip. A lot of the movie has to do with the power of literature and how strongly it can connect with people and help them through life. There are some nice scenes that show Matilda's point of view where she imagines Great Expectations but because she lives on a tropical island, the places and customs she imagines are much closer to her culture that Victorian England (a technique done to even greater effect in Tarsem Singh's The Fall). Another thing is that a huge part of the conflict is Grace's mother Dolores being incredibly suspicious of both Mr. Watts and the novel Great Expectations. Her point of view was barely represented though, so when she makes a decision involving the novel which endangers the lives of the whole village it makes no sense and is not understandable to the audience. Furthermore even Mr. Watts who becomes a mentor to Matilda is sort of obscured in mystery. This turns out to be on purpose for this a late ending reveal but it comes so late and feels so random that I couldn't bring myself to care. A half-baked feature.

I tried to like this movie, I really did. But it was just to implausible. There's no way anyone in what is a VERY backward polynesian society would grok Great Expectations, certainly not a group of young children. Hey! I worked a project in that area of the world and another thing you do not see is the one common thing to that entire area..... FLIES. ENDLESS FLIES. NEVERENDING FLIES. In fact I worked as an analyst on a mining project there, so I DO know what I'm talking about. The one thing they got right.... how brutes (rebels or 'formal military' men) act during 'war' or 'insurrection'. Shooting the man then cutting up his body and throwing it to the pings, then raping the woman and doing the same thing to HER body. THAT was TRUTH, in any third-world (really 'fourth-world') society when 'war' occurs. (I put war in quotes because it really doesn't take much in those parts of the world to cause people to commit horrific acts against their brethren.) Then the ending of the movie, how trite! Of course Mr. Pip left his wife, a civilized white woman, for a jetblack third-world slut. Yeah, that rings true! HAH! I don't usually enjoy anything that Brit actor, Hugh whatisface is in, because he really doesn't seem to have either a good agent or perhaps he's just capable of discerning what's good art and what is not. Anyway he's just a parrot like 99% of the rest of the movie/TV actors/actresses. (Yes, call me a troll, but I used to write for Hollywood and I've never really gotten over the embarrassment of that stupidity.)

It always amazes me when I am carried away by a film whose lead actor is unheard of, or has little to no previous acting credits. Xzannjah Matsi is such an actress, not because she is Hollywood polished, because she is not, but because she is so natural and believable. She carries the innocent heart of a student who believes in her mentor, and of a young girl whose been confronted with some of life's harsh realities for the first time. Through her character portrayal one can easily remember the precise moment when looking at life through the protective fog of childhood lifts. Truly this film was a testament to the sad events it was based upon, to the spirit of the island people, and to the pure relationship between a beloved teacher and student. Excellent job also to Hugh Laurie and to the woman who portrays her mother Healesville Joel.

In few words: food for thought! Shocked me in good and bad kinds too. As I watched I cried and laughed at the same time.A beautiful and sad story about both sides of humanity. Good persons with kindness and faith and fantasy, and bad ones with ignorance and malice and guns. Love versus hate. Like many countries in the World. But we need to believe in love. This movie what must see... must see with your loved ones and family and friends! Hugh Laurie was fantastic as always, and Xzannjah impressed me with her natural talent. and I think I want to read the book by Dickens' Great Expectations. Thank you very much for the creators of this movie miracle!