"Gulliver's Travels" is one of those movies that falls between complete disaster and loads of fun. Mild amusement is probably about right.
Betsy Sharkey in Los Angeles Times Black was already the world's biggest little kid, and he might be the only actor who could have made this movie such nimble fun. No matter how thin the concept, Black always manages to make it his own.
Kyle Smith in New York PostAn effects-driven children's movie enlivened by Jack Black but deadened by over reliance on those effects.
Increasingly, studios are slapping 3D on movies not to add entertainment value but to conceal a lack of dimension in a movie's story or characters. While not the worst in recent 3D films, "Gulliver's Travels" is more gimmicky than a crackling good yarn.The film feels rushed and slight at every point. Thanks to inspired clowning by Jack Blackand a solid cast that breathes life into an inert story, the movie works as a moderately entertaining children's movie.
Kirk Honeycutt in The hollywood reporterI mean - really - do you have a burning desire to see Jack Black's buttocks? Blown up, in the land of Lilliput, to 12 times their normal size? I didn't think so
Stephen Whitty in Newark Star-LedgerGulliver's Travels strips the source material down to its recognizable parts and then builds something completely new out of them. Unfortunately, the result is entirely Lilliputian in ambition, even for a children's movie.
Keith Staskiewicz in Entertainment WeeklyI was but seldom inspired to peals of true laughter, though I did relish that part when Mr. Black, confronting a fire raging in the Palace of Lilliput, douses the blaze through heroic use of such means as Nature has provided him
. A.O. Scott in New York TimesIf you’ve been possessed of a burning desire to behold Jack Black’s belly flab in 3D, then I am delighted to announce that your moment has arrived. What’s that? You say it’s Black’s buttcrack you crave the sight of, rendered in three glorious dimensions? This, my friend, is your lucky day....
..... But it’s the overall moral of the film that embodies its greatest instance of satire, in how it comments on the current state of American society. One need not be clever, hardworking, and talented to succeed -- in fact, such things are detriments to success, turning one either evil (Edward) or a sucker (Darcy). The best way to make good for oneself is to avoid all work, wisecrack a lot, and expect others to look after you... and all good things will come your way. What a hoot!
at flickfilosopher.com