Children will happily join Gulliver on his misadventure in Rob Letterman’s retelling of the classic Gulliver’s Travels. Unfortunately, anyone old enough to fly alone will likely wish they had stayed at home.

A long term employee as the mail man of a Manhattan Newspaper, Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black), lazily performs his duties with little drive to climb the corporate ladder. This is until he is challenged to ask out his long term crush, the vivacious Travel Editor, Darcy Silverman (Amanda Peet), and stumbles into taking a travel assignment to the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, where he becomes stuck in a land of miniature people in a town called Liliput.

Remaining well within his acting parameters, the film ought to be called Jack Black’s Travels. If you have seen a Jack Black film before, you will already be acquainted with this Gulliver. Jack Black’s crude, unsophisticated comedy, has never much appealed to this reviewer – a scene in which the giant urinates all over comedic great Billy Connolly says it all. Nonetheless, kids will lap up his portrayal as the unkempt loveable idiot not unlike the over exuberant uncle who entertains the youngsters, but underwhelms the adults who have seen it all before. In saying that, the pop culture jokes soar, and will offer weary parents some comfort amongst the spread of vomit-inducing toilet humour. It’s refreshing to see pop culture references so thoughtfully employed, as opposed to the boorish, rapid-fire approach of the Friedberg/Seltzer films (Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans). Furthermore, a third-act twist, featuring Black dressed as a rag doll, adds a new dimension to the film (quite literally!) and offers genuine laughs.

Throughout Gulliver’s Travels, Black monopolises the funnies, as the other characters largely supplement his role. Playing Gulliver’s love interest Darcy Silverman (Amanda Peet) is charming and likeable, though her eventual interest in Gulliver is even more unrealistic than the tiny town/giant guy concept. Jason Segel, as the timid town outcast besotted by the Princess, plays a loyal yet pitiable sidekick to the giant. Segel’s comedic talent is under-utilised in this script. Performing small roles as King Theodore and Queen Isabelle, comedic veterans Billy Connolly and Catherine Tate gain laughs on their own accord, taking liberties with an often forgettable script.

Though they could have easily become distracting and tacky, the 3D effects eloquently enhance the look of the film, without being overly tricksy and complicated. The giant versus miniature ratios are cleverly handled. These technical components to the Gulliver remake are an achievement.

One of the film’s greatest strengths is its playful, lack of seriousness. With the long running film franchises of Harry Potter and Narnia opting for darker, more mature tones (or in the case of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a flat-out boring tone), Gulliver’s Travels fills the void for those parents wanting to take their children to a light-hearted live-action fantasy.

It must be said, the film is not as bad as the trailer suggests. Kids will love it and their parentals will get by with mild interest. Of course it would not complete without a half singing/half shouting Jack Black song which inspires community dancing. Urgh. Regardless, parents could do worse these school holidays.