Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am unsure of how many versions of "Tom Sawyer" that I have seen, regardless, nearly every one had its charms as does this version. While this version plays more as a vehicle for Jonathon Taylor Thomas and Brad Renfro, the story still plays out much like Mark Twain's original.
This movie launches very quickly into the murder of Doc Robinson (William Newman) by Injun Joe (Eric Schweig). Injun Joe has pinned the blame on poor Muff Potter (Michael McShane) by using his knife. We know, however, that Tom Sawyer (Thomas) and Huckleberry Finn (Brad Renfro) were watching. We also know that Huck has made a pact with Tom to never tell anyone about what they saw. However, Tom is conflicted because he genuinely likes Muff Potter, and somehow he feels that he can not leave him to take the blame for Injun Joe's crime.
While I do not wish to make light of this movie, we know the general story. Injun Joe threatens Tom and tells Tom that he will kill him if he tells what he knows. Of course, Tom ultimately does tell, but Injun Joe escapes the courthouse, and Tom will be in fear of Injun Joe until he is caught or killed. Eventually the movie ends up in Mark Twain Cave (at least, that was the original setting), where Becky Thatcher (the gloriously beautiful Rachael Lee Cook), Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn have it out with Injun Joe.
This movie retains a reasonable amount of Twain's original story. However, because the movie barely clocks in with 97 minutes, the story is substantially shortened with little of the significant detail that Twain put into his book. There is a reasonable amount of humor in the movie to take the edge off the drama, with the famous church scene being one of the best scenes until after Tom was discovered, when the scene began to go downhill. The famous fence whitewashing scene is relatively weak in this movie.
This movie seems to be a showcase for then popular Disney star Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Unfortunately for Thomas, Muff Potter, Injun Joe, Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher all steal the show. Tom, who was the leader and the schemer in the original Twain story, seems to be half a step behind throughout much of the movie. Apparently someone in Disney thought that Thomas would be more appealing as a more naïve child; whoever came up with that idea was wrong.
This movie is a bit too violent for younger children. I would recommend age 6 or 7 as the lower limit, and even some older children may find some of the violence distressing.
My biggest disappointment with this movie was the portrayal of the cave. Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, Missouri was formed by water, and is substantially shale and clay. In some areas of the cave, water still flows at lower level Some versions of this movie do a great job of portraying the cave; this movie does not. I recommend visiting the original in Hannibal, Missouri.
A purist will undoubtedly find this movie to be disappointing. However, perhaps a child watching this movie will be sufficiently intrigued that they will pick up Mark Twain's book and discover the wonderful world that Mark Twain created.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Tom & Huck (1995)
Jonathan Taylor Thomas (HOME IMPROVEMENT) stars as America's greatest teenage hero -- Tom Sawyer! No boy ever had so much fun, got into so much trouble, or had so many outrageous adventures! Disney's magic touch now turns Mark Twain's masterpiece into "An outstanding classic adventure film" (Kids News Network). Tom and his rebellious friend Huck (Brad Renfro) witness a midnight killing. They swear not to reveal what they saw -- but that causes a real problem. If Tom doesn't speak up, an innocent friend may be hanged. But if he does tell the truth, the real killer, knife-throwing Injun Joe, will come after him! TOM AND HUCK has it all -- a treasure hunt, a haunted house, a courtroom showdown, a scary chase in a cave, and a valuable lesson for young Tom: when a friend's in trouble, you don't run away! Now one of the world's great stories becomes a great addition to your family's Disney library!
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