For today's film goers, this is Inception but without the confusing action but it was worth the admission. A bit loose though

Rating: 6/10 (1 January 2014)

"My second time seeing a cinema-released film on Christmas Day since Django Unchained last year. What would you make out of life if you lived in a dream-like, lucid state of mind? Well, Ben Stiller responds to this question with this esoteric, psychedelic or hippie-influenced, and quirky remake of the 1947 film of the same name and film adaptation of James Thurber's magazine story. Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty seems like an earnest choice since his character, remembering from some clips and pre-evaluated knowledge, is not over-the-top, raunchy, or stoned as today's comedic actors would come across.
Stiller evokes a sort of Truman Show-esque vibe to this character and his peculiar episodes dealing with his dreams, his love interest, and adventures through Iceland, Greenland, and the Himalayas. Mitty is done in a way, and with some of the film's choice of environment and place, like an 80s or 90s film where there the technology is there but it feels minimalist and too kind to be out-there and a bit too rough and stylised to be considerably respectable to the older generation. Given this element, I found myself laughing little in this film but being intrigued by the cinematography and oddball events that Mitty encounters more than the humour alone. The Iceland and Greenland scenes were well-done and the beginning scene (which is cleverly done comedy by being subtle) but the scenes set in the Himalayas and elsewhere felt a bit stale and overlooked.
The plot does feel a bit loose too with scenes going on for quite a few minutes without any kind of intriguing traction or element of suspense and emergency which adds to the good but not always brilliant "hippie/psychedelic" label to this film (not to say, the excellent choice of David Bowie, nature shots, quotes of strength, and other pieces of music in it). It did not help that the film used the same title twice which could be an editing error in the opening credits and I honestly wish there could have been more dream sequences or ending the film like it was a dream as that concept flew over the cuckoo's nest 1/3 into the film. The possibly perceived anti-corporate, anti-TSA/pro- privacy, pro-nature, pro-culture message might be off-putting to some but it was done within the confines of exploring out of your surroundings and feeling life for what it is almost like a travel guide on Globe Trekker or a crazy episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations but without the food or all-out vulgarity.
One thing that intrigued me more (not just how much product placement there was which was something that didn't bother me really but it was funnily done) was the PG rating (which is more appropriately granted here than a PG-13) for this film given it has no kid appeal and features language (ass, hell, damn) and adult humour (a heroin and genitalia joke) which might scratch parents' heads more for a PG than if it was another animated work from Disney or DreamWorks. Aside from that, I probably might have missed this film if it was not for the PG curio element to a film that looks like it would be another commercial PG-13 film aimed at adults these days. As a film, it works to be a modern-day homage and it does its job and does not squirm on over-the-top elements here which add to the film's dryly comic yet ultimately dramatic presentation.
It also works by allowing you feel like in a place other than somewhere else which is ultimately what Christopher Nolan's Inception did three years ago but considering how overrated and confusing I though of it, Walter Mitty (the two versions included, 1947 and 2013) was better done with the lucid concept. I watched this film during Christmas day knowing of a family relative's respect and admiration for the original and being from the new generation, I gave this title a chance and I was not disappointed as much as some of the critics have said. It was far from perfect but it was nicely done and the Iceland/Greenland scenes were worth the admission at least and the PG curiosity to it."