Review of Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) by Jared H — 12 Nov 2010

I absolutely LOVE Buster Keaton! His adorable stone face and outrageous gags never fail to bring a smile to my face. Steamboat Bill Jr is most memorable for the windstorm sequence and its quite a spectacle.

The best part of watching the sequence is watching Keaton himself...the sheer physicality he brings to his performance..it's pure delight. He was such a master of what he did. The special effects are very good for their time and don't seem dated one bit, in fact it looks better than the special effects we see nowadays.

The film is the last major one for Keaton sadly, Hollywood rejected this genius but its good to know that he is now remembered as one of the best ever. Another aspect of the film I really like is the father-son relationship.

..its amusing and heart-warming at the same time. Every child wants acceptance from their parents and poor Willie tries his best. In the end he wins it, but it takes a heavy windstorm to get there! The only flaw in the film I guess is the pacing, the beginning is a little slow and you are not sure where the film is going but once the story starts moving you can't stop watching.

It's alot of fun, simple story-telling, with heart-warming characters performing funny gags aided by some great special effects makes this film a must-see.