Despite some predictability, THE GREAT ELEPHANT ESCAPE succeeds as a tale of cross-cultural friendship. Filmed on location in Nairobi, Kenya, it is also visually rewarding.
Shortly after we witness an elephant being slaughtered by poachers, Beverly and Matt Cunningham (Stephanie Zimbalist and Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a divorced mother and her son, arrive in Kenya from Los Angeles. They arrive at a ranch run by Clive Potter (Julian Sands) that also serves as a shelter
for orphaned animals. Matt befriends Jomo (Frederick M'Cormac), a local boy responsible for feeding Ellie, a baby elephant. Meanwhile, Clive begins to pay considerable attention to Beverly.
Upsetting this situation is Etheridge (Leo Burmester), an obnoxious American who buys Ellie as a gift for his wife. After seeing Etheridge mistreat the elephant, the two boys set her free and run off to find a herd for her to join. With both Etheridge and Beverly going after them, the boys get
into various scrapes. They are chased by a lion, frightened by hyenas, and arrested after Ellie goes on a destructive run through a village. Ellie breaks them out of jail, and together they find a herd. Etheridge finds them but his car goes over a small cliff. Matt frees him just before the car
explodes. In gratitude, Etheridge gives back the elephant and donates a vehicle to the ranch. As the film closes, Ellie joins the new herd while Beverly and Matt make plans to return to Kenya the next summer.
As with many children's films, this made-for-TV project is not subtle. The outcome of every scene can be guessed beforehand, and the characters are all one-dimensional (Etheridge is practically a caricature). On the other hand, THE GREAT ELEPHANT ESCAPE does not strive for deep emotion, so who
cares if it is a bit heavy-handed? The character of Matt is the strongest, and Gordon-Levitt is appealing, though his broad style and exaggerated facial movements are better suited to his sitcom work on "Roseanne" than to drama. The film benefits from its scenery and natural lighting, as well as
from good African music. The animals are the real highlight of the film; they are shown as real and sometimes dangerous, and not cute and cuddly. leave a comment
