21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a great movie for little kids, February 27, 2002
Bosse Ohlsson is an average boy living in Stockholm with his horrid Aunt Edna and Uncle Sixten. On one particularly cruel day he goes out with his best friend to fly kites and on the way home(when he was already late), boys take his hat and get it dirty. Aunt Edna makes such a bad fuss that Bosse decides to run away to find his father. He visits the local shop and the owner gives him an apple and a letter to mail. He stops at a bench area and just as he's about to eat the apple, it turns golden and a spirit comes out of a bottle lying on the ground. It turns out that the spirit is from the land of faraway and has been sent to bring Bosse there to meet his father. Bosse goes to the land of faraway and his finds out his real name is Mio and he has a horse named Miramis. Joy is short lived though because he finds out that an evil night Kato has kidnapped all the children and is keeping them prisoner outside of the land. Since Mio is the only child of royal blood, he must journey with Jum Jum and Miramis to save the children and destroy Kato.
I love this movie as it is one of my childhood favorites. It's a wonderful tale and should be more honored.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Bizarre, It's An Undeniable Classic, May 1, 2006
This review is from: Mio in the Land of Faraway (DVD)
This movie (on VHS) was given to me many years ago as a gift. Although I had never even heard of this film at the time, it only took one viewing for it to become a favorite of mine. These days, it seems you can score a DVD of "The Land of Faraway" for a cool hundred bones. And I assure you, it is worth every penny.
First off, there's the drab opening scenes where poor orphan Bosse gets picked on by everyone. You'll feel sorry for him, but that's because you don't realize he has a wondrous destiny in store. All of a sudden, a giant floating head materializes out of nowhere and, ordering Bosse to hang onto his beard, spirits him away to the Land of Faraway! Needless to say, this is a bizarre montage that will astound you.
The floating head delivers him to the palace, where he meets his father (the King, natch) and his best friend Jum-Jum. (How you can have a best friend you've never met is a bit bewildering to me, but hey, it's Christian Bale, and he could sell a blind man a "pap", let alone a friendless loser on the prospect of a new homie.) Bosse gets a new name, "Mio", and a flying horse, "Miramis", and the audience begins to wonder what the heck is going on here.
Enter the evil villain, KATO! Every time his name is spoken, a fierce and scary wind blows from somewhere offscreen. The effect is so comical, I guarantee you will find yourself repeatedly faux-intoning "KA-TO!!" after watching the film. (By the way, it rhymes with "gato", not NATO.) Christopher Lee is awesome in this role, particularly when he gets to deliver lines like "This is the most dangerous sword I've had in my castle...it cannot kill the young and innocent!" Obviously, the new Prince of Faraway needs to take this mug down. So Mio and Jum-Jum set out on an adventure to take down KATO and restore peace to the Land of Faraway.
Cue the ABBA-penned theme!
If you're looking for a wondrous fantasy film that will thrill child and grownup alike, you might fare better with Harry Potter, etc. But if you're in the mood for a freaky Swedish flick that looks like it was made under the heavy influence of mushrooms, with a really scary wind that blows every time someone says "KATO", this movie is for you!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"The Land of Faraway", December 23, 2001
Eleven year old Bosse Ohlsson, who lives in Stockholm with his over-bearing Aunt Edna, dreams of finding his father. One night, he decides to run away to find his father when a spirit recognizes him and flies him to the beautiful Land of Faraway. There, Bosse is reunited with his father, whom he finds is the king in the Land of Faraway. There he learns that his real name is Mio but he and his father's joy are short-lived. Kato, the evil knight from the Land Outside, has kidnapped and placed terrible spells on most of the children of the kingdom. According to the legends however, the only one who can destroy Kato and save the children must be a male child of royal blood. So with a white horse named Miramis and great friend Jum Jum, Mio sets out for Kato's castle.
Though this film is rated "NR: Not Rated", in my opinion it's actually a pretty dark movie for kids. But the plot is definitely made out for kids for example, an evil knight who kidnaps children and cast spells on them. But the reason for the 4 stars mostly is that 1) the plot is pretty thin, 2) is pretty slow at some points, and 3) the dialogue isn't that much good.
But the good points are that in a way the movie is intriguing. I especially love the music and the last song. Since this movie is hard to find, if you're interested in getting this movie, there's another version called "Mio in the Land of Faraway" which might be easier to find.
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