Excellent adaptation.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Directed in typically quirky fashion by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the movie tells the story of a brilliant child who runs away from home to accept an award from the Smithsonian Institute. It's a movie that captures the weird mix of hope, alienation, and angst that is childhood.Beautifully shot in brilliant colors, the movie is a comedy with melancholy moments. It's kind of a kid's movie, but of the sort you get in France, which seems to consider children more sophisticated and complex than America (I'm with France on that). Which means it works quite well for adults.The movie does occasionally drag, and there was a point where my girlfriend and I independently wondered if that train trip would ever end, but for the most part, this is quite charming.

The film was produced by three countries from three different continents, carved by one of my favoutire French directors that talks of a prodigy child. An English language film set in the American soil. If you had liked his films, then you would like this one as well. Like all his films, it was visually fantastic and it was his first digital 3D project. One of the underrated film of the recent time. A road adventure and a coming-of-age film that neatly rendered especially for the family and children film fans.More like it was a kid version of 'Amelie' and now I realise why the author picked this particular foreign filmmaker for the cinematic translation. This is not some kid's summer vacation tale or the school related stuff, but a rural kid and his weird family. They're united by family, but divided by their field of interest. Born in such family, the film focused his life and mostly the fighting of his loneliness.It was based on the book about a 12 year old boy T.S. Spivet who lives on a ranch in the Rockies with his family. He's a scientific research enthusiastic and so one day he receives an unusual call from the Washington DC that he had won a prestigious award for his invention. After a sudden tragedy in the house he set to travel by his own to the other side of the country. The adventure begins as he hitchhike to his destination where he learns many things."The amazing thing about water drops, is that they always take the path of least resistance. For humans, it's exactly the opposite."The kid was brilliant, it was his perspective story. In one of the scenes when he gets hurt, that felt like it was real. His co-stars supported him all the way, but not as a game changer. You might agree with me that it is not a great story, somewhat familiar too, but the film topic is inspiring like how an atypical family cooperates during the bad times that compared with their negligence to each other at one point before. There are a few fun moments, but also gets emotional at the final part.The train journey had lots of effects on the narration, because I'd seen a road movie, but this is a very rare, especially it gives us some glimpse over awesome landscapes of different part of the country. Like I said, the cinematography was the best part of the film followed by many others. In the end, I was very satisfied for it is being somewhat simple with having an extraordinary boy character. Because, you know, genius boy means usually the writers goes for an extra mile to make him shine with his brain powers to perhaps face the bad guys or the bad situations for which the audience sets to go awe.Really very sad that it was not as popular as 'Hugo' where everyone who saw it comparing with, especially for the digital 3D visuals. That tells how much the people are addicted to Hollywood and of course marketing was not upto the standards as against the film's standard. In fact, it took me two years to learn such film is exist. So I definitely recommend it to all. If you have not seen it yet, just do it, you might like it, surely you would enjoy it.8/10

T. S. Spivet lives with his family in a ranch in the western US. It has a privileged mind, drowned by the rural life. One day he receives a call saying that one of his inventions have been awarded and embarks on a journey across the country only to collect the prize. The screenplay delivers a nice story. Of those epic tales featuring children. As often happens with films in which the lead is a boy, the young actor is fundamental. He achieves very good moments. The last movie of the Jeunet / Laurant duet (Amélie, Delicatessen, Eternal Love, etc.). A contemporary fable. The journey of a child crossing the country: nearly a fantastic and touching road movie; the story of an odyssey with magical touches from a mind like JP Jeunet. The film has a cinematography and directing that gives pleasure to the eye and carries the story very well. But I would have liked to see more things like the ones he dazzled us with in Amélie and Delicatessen. I got the impression of a sweetened Jeunet, Hollywoodized, off ... At times it even seems influenced by Tim Burton and Wes Anderson. Near the end, the movie goes off a little (total American moment).

What a surprise to me- I was expecting another European artsy movie that does not go anywhere. I am European and generally sick of this kind of movies especially from France that bore me to tears. Instead I saw an entertaining movie, full of wonderful filmmaking, touching story and interesting characters. The story is told with an incredible focus on details and beautiful imagery. This is definitely an emotional story carried by kid actors that could have gone terribly wrong. For my taste Mr. Jeunet found a very tasteful way to direct the cast through the potential pitfalls of the story. The story is out there in a fantasy world combined with National Geographic Imagery- great combination. I am sure not for everyone but it worked for me. Chapeau monsieur Jeunet.