Swamp Robber
I was able to attend the world premiere of Swamp Robber at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA and get a sneak peek at the completed film. This is the first movie in the Sugar Creek Gang series.
In this installment we are introduced to the entire gang: Bill Collins, Poetry, Circus, Dragonfly, Big Jim, and Little Jim. We accompany them as they discover a secret map and eventually encounter a bank robber on a late night visit to the swamp. The locations used for filming are gorgeous: from the farms to the forests, rivers, and creeks. You can tell these kids must have had a blast making the movie!
In addition to reamaining faithful to the main story, the film expands the scope of the original book. We get to see a bit of the home life that some of these kids endure, and interesting details are laid out that appear to set the stage for a much larger story arc that will be completed in subsequent films. Also, the stage is set for upcoming confrontations with the town...
Family friendly fun
Kids of all ages will love following the Sugar Creek Gang as they venture out to solve a mystery in the "Swamp Robber". When Poetry finds a hidden disguise in the swamp, the gang investigates and discovers a map that leads them to more than just treasure. This movie is a gem-Kalon Media has done a great job capturing the heart of the book series on film. The cinematography is peaceful and colorful and the characters are earnestly portrayed. The films are very family friendly, though there is one brief scene where a husband and wife are arguing and the husband storms off in a fury, leaving his son running after him, yet the situation is handled gently. The movies seem to have a broad appeal, and my boys (ages 4 through 10) equally loved the DVD. These days, it's not easy to find a movie they can all agree upon, but they've watched it several times and never moved from their seats for the entire movie. Amazing! Whether you're a devoted reader of the Sugar Creek Gang series or never...
The NEW Sugar Creek Gang . . .
While these Sugar Creek Gang movies are not up to the quality of Michael Landon, Jr.'s movies, they do an amazing job with the talent and equipment they have to work with. While at times some of the adults seem to be 'acting,' the kids typically fall right into their roles as naturally as in their real-life pretending. One quality I appreciate in this series is that the kids are not so heavenly minded they are no earthly good at being kids. Too many Christian oriented movies seem to have all the characters think about is their religion, so much so it runs it into the ground. These kids are very much like virtually all children who grow up in Evangelical families. Yes, they think about God and want to be a good Christian, but 98% of their time is spent just being kids. [One reviewer complained that the Christian message was 'watered down.' I'd suggest to that person that they should buy videos of pastors giving their sermons and see how many times their kids ask to see it over...
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