When a Disney film has a PG rating for "violence and mild language" I expect the "violence" to be something like a fistfight. So I was, to put it mildly, a bit surprised when A Far Off Place opens with a brutal scene of elephants being gunned down by poachers, who are then shot dead in their turn by someone else, and a later scene has an entire household murdered by the poachers, complete with showing their limp and bloody bodies. It's that trauma that serves as the motivating plot element for A Far Off Place, as the two surviving children, Nonnie (Reese Witherspoon) and Harry, set off on a trek across the African desert, relying on their wits and the advice of their native friend.

A good children's film can use powerful tragedy as the spark for a story that structures the experience in a way that the child viewer can appreciate. However, A Far Off Place isn't a good children's film; it's a rather bland film that uncomfortably straddles the line between being a film intended for children and one intended for all audiences. On the one hand, the violent events early in the film make it seem unduly scary for younger viewers, but on the other hand, those younger viewers are probably the ones who would actually enjoy the simple storyline. For older viewers, A Far Off Place is unengaging at best and relies on stereotyped material, both in the form of well-worn character types and predictable life lessons. The sketchily drawn characters are not compelling in their own right: we immediately know pretty much everything there is to know about self-assured Nonnie and overconfident city-bred Harry, even down to the lessons they must learn about themselves in order to cooperate and survive.

The story is simplistic... not simple, which could have worked nicely, but simplistic. For instance, I certainly agree with the film's viewpoint that poaching of endangered species is utterly reprehensible, and the idea of the beautiful African elephants being slaughtered merely for their ivory fills me with disgust. In other words, the film has me on its side already. Nonetheless, the use of the poachers as cardboard baddies is a bit too transparent here. They are simply Bad with a capital B, and that's all there is to it. They probably eat babies and step on kittens for fun, too. Certainly a children's film doesn't have to develop ethical issues in detail, but the complete absence of any complexity or nuance just makes the film that much shallower.

Structurally, the film stumbles. In its early scenes, the film introduces a whole gaggle of secondary characters whom we might logically assume we're supposed to keep track of, only to kill them off a little while later. There are also some attempts at dramatic suspense, such as with the drumming scenes involving Xhabbo, Nonnie's native friend, but these are presented in a confusing and ultimately uncompelling manner.

The only thing that really works about A Far Off Place is its scenery, which is undeniably beautiful. The location filming in Africa is used to great advantage, with both landscape and wildlife shown in all their glory.

The DVD

Video

The transfer for A Far Off Place is satisfactory, but it's not as polished as it could be. On the one hand, Disney has done the right thing in presenting a "family film" in its original widescreen aspect ratio (2.35:1) and providing anamorphic enhancement. Edge enhancement is virtually absent, and colors look reasonably natural. On the other hand, the print is in surprisingly poor shape, with many obtrusive flaws and scratches appearing in the image. There's also quite a bit of grain in the image, which is quite noticeable in the shots of desert and sky.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack is adequate but the film certainly would have benefited from a more expansive audio treatment. The sound is somewhat flat, with not much sense of surround; dialogue is clear but not particularly rich.

Extras

There are no special features on this DVD.

Final thoughts

Though the African setting is gorgeous and the idea of an "epic journey" of survival sounds intriging, A Far Off Place is less than compelling, with a simplistic handling of story elements and a cast of stereotyped characters. It's probably best seen as a rental, but parents should keep in mind that there are several violent and scary sequences that may be inappropriate for younger viewers. Rent it.