rebekahrox Stranded is a top notch re-telling of the Swiss Family Robinson story. It takes a more serious approach where lives are threatened , tragedy is always around the next corner, and death does occur. This is not a Disney version, with its humor, slapstick, and rollicking tone. Yet it retains the values of family, religion, and love. With its 3 hour length, it has added a welcome subplot which follows the life of the youngest son, Jacob, separated from the family during the shipwreck and raised by pirates. It also devotes time to the transformation of father David Robinson from a stubborn, controlling religious fanatic to a loving and supportive father who learns to widen his worldview on the little deserted island. It also adds to the mix, a young daughter who grows up on the island, and a native who visits occasionally and helps them through some life threatening events. Happily, it also includes a romance when the daughter of a sea captain escapes from pirates, and meets up with the Robinson family. Equally happily, it also includes the climactic battle between the Robinsons and the pirates. All ends well in a very satisfying ending, where each family member chooses to go or stay in order to fulfill their bliss.

tunanoonion This movie is awesome. Why have I only stumbled across it now? Was there no publicity back in 2002? So much better than the normal Hallmark product, which can be over sentimental and fanciful. It's an intelligent re-make of the Swiss Family Robinson's survival story, cleverly avoiding the clunky plot points of the 1960's John Mills film. Shot in Thailand (I think ) the film looks stunning. Beautiful sets, fabulous cast (including a young Jessie Spencer aka Robert Chase in House MD.) There's a reality about their evolution on the island and the magical encounter with a native fisherman. One of their sons Jacob is separated from them during the shipwreck and is adopted by Pirates. This cleverly provides the emotional drive the story needs to get to it's climax. Exciting, moving, rewarding, with excellent direction from Charles Beeson.....just great!

Scallie1011 Wonderful portrayal of the timeless classic, Swiss Family Robinson. A great film for all the family. It's exciting, moving, has wonderful photography and is excellently directed. Shipwrecked and separated from their youngest son, the Robinsons set about surviving on a deserted shore. Pirates and the inevitable return of their estranged son makes compulsive viewing. Congratulations Hallmark.

Cipher-J in which a family gets marooned on an island in paradise. The period is roughly 18th or 19th century, and dad gets convicted as a felon by the English court because, being a parson and a religious fanatic, he refuses to swear allegiance to the crown. As punishment, he is to be shipped off to a penal colony south of the equator, and his wife petitions the court to let her and the kids come along. A big storm wrecks the ship and the family ends up on an island, except for one of the sons, who ends up being raised by pirates. How the family survives, and eventually becomes reunited becomes the substance of the story, but there are problems. It's very slow moving. The lighting is unnecessarily poor in many critical scenes, as though striving for "realism," but mostly it's just rather annoying. Nor are the characters all that appealing. Attempts to introduce a few romantic moments mostly fall flat, and in the end, we are actually left to feel sorry for the bad guy!