The Traveller's Magazine
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is a cinematographic masterpiece and one of the first blockbusters of 2014. In cinemas now, this Ben Stiller film, also starring Ben Stiller, is an ode to following one’s dream and grabbing adventure by the tail.
Life is about courage and going into the unknown.
This line certainly sums up the film. Not everyone has the courage to get out of their comfort zone, ditch the usual day to day routine to take the trip of their dreams. That’s certainly the case with Walter Mitty. You couldn’t meet a more ordinary person, watching his life pass before his eyes in the archives at Life Magazine. His only escape? His unrestrainable imagination.
Until the day the magazine folds. Love, mid-life crisis… Walter has no other choice but to find the courage to make that leap of faith into the unknown and finally go on the adventure he was always waiting for. He goes from crowded New York City trains to wide open landscapes and meets people living at the ends of the earth. This is life, the real one.
There are those who aren’t so keen on the film. You only have to head over to RottenTomatoes.com to read, “It doesn’t lack for ambition, but The Secret Life of Walter Mitty fails to back up its grand designs with enough substance to anchor the spectacle.” But the film has also received a lot of praise,
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is not about the destination, this is a story all about the journey. Whether he’s jumping from helicopters, fighting sharks, climbing the Himalayas or skateboarding down erupting volcanoes, Walter inspires us to stop dreaming and start living.” – Stuff.co.nz
The film is the second adaptation of the short story written by James Thurber, first published in the New Yorker in 1941: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This time however, it’s given a 21st century go-over.
Iceland, always and forever
The amazing landscapes in this film cannot be mistaken for any other place than the island of Iceland in the North Atlantic. If you’ve always wanted to visit Iceland then this is a film that you cannot miss, if only for the amazing shots of the countryside. A major part of the story was filmed here, with landscaped mimicking those of Greenland and even Afghanistan. If Iceland has caught your eye, hop on an easyJet flight to Reykjavik!
What has been the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken?
