Shortcut Safaari Movie Review

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STORY: On their way back from an excursion, seven kids take off on an adventure trip which ends up in an accident and get stranded in the middle of a thick forest. Their driver goes to the neighboring village t0 seek help and doesn’t come back for days. With the menace of hyenas, leopards and monkeys looming large over them, the children step out to tread their own path. Their tryst with nature will instill values in them for life.

REVIEW: Dense forests, serene streams, wild animals and chirpy kids is the combination that will instantly take you back to Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book that released barely a few weeks ago. With the imagery of lush greens fresh in our minds, the poor CGI work of this film is even more noticeable. As if the look of the film weren’t dull enough, its paper-thin plot and poor acting is the last straw.

It is touted to be an adventure tale but there is a dearth of genuine thrills in this movie. The fact that young children are deserted in the scary woods with no help never impacts the viewer. The parents’ helplessness, the children’s squabbles and their ‘misery’ feel too synthetic. Blame it on the poor acting or the lack of a solid screenplay, but the drama doesn’t hit home. Even when the kids are lost in the forest or when their trusted driver doesn’t return for days despite promising to be back in 15 minutes, they seem to manage just fine. Even the kids’ back stories – from estranged parents to ailing grandmother – fail to evoke any emotion.

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