Film

Around the World in 80 Days

Name: Around the World in 80 Days
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Released: 2004
Cast: Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, Cécile de France, Jim Broadbent, Ewen Bremner

Other titles called Around the World in 80 Days: the 1956 film, the 2021 series (ZDFmediathek), the 2021 film.

Treasure hunt
Light-hearted
Relentless

Jackie Chan and Steve Coogan star in this globe-trotting comedy adventure about an eccentric inventor and a charming thief racing to circumnavigate Earth in eighty days. It's a dizzy, effects-laden romp through exotic locations with pratfalls, one-liners, and elaborate set pieces. Perfect for anyone who wants spectacle without angst—a film that knows exactly what it is and commits fully to the bit.

TMDb rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a loose, sun-warmed globetrotting romp where slapstick set-pieces, Jackie Chan's physical comedy and Steve Coogan's prim bluster matter more than a tight plot.

Skip it if you want a faithful, reverent Jules Verne adaptation, because this keeps the novel's wager and little else, trading its wit for loud gags and a brisk, busy pace.

What it asks of you: Expect a brisk, bright ride of around two hours that moves from city to city without much pause, so it rewards easy attention more than close reading.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

National Treasure2004

Nicolas Cage hunts historical treasures across America with the same breathless energy and globe-trotting momentum. Charismatic leads, puzzles, action sequences, and that same willingness to be ridiculous in service of pure fun.

But The plot holes are cavernous, and the historical 'facts' are purely invented. Some find Cage's intensity exhausting rather than charming.

Mr. Bean's Holiday2007

Rowan Atkinson's physical comedy across Europe captures that same spirit of a bumbling hero accidentally stumbling through misadventures. Wordless, visual, and genuinely clever about slapstick.

But Relies almost entirely on pantomime and sight gags. If you need dialogue to engage, long stretches will feel thin.

The Mummy1999

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz race through exotic locales with witty banter and genuine chemistry. Action-adventure that remembers comedy matters as much as spectacle, with real warmth between leads.

But Released almost a decade earlier and shows its age in some effects. The romance subplot dominates more than some action fans prefer.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Around the World in 80 Days

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

A Trip to the Moon1902

Both are about the romance of impossible journeys and the sheer *pleasure* of travel as spectacle. Both trust visual storytelling over plot mechanics.

Georges Méliès invented science-fiction cinema in thirteen minutes. Hand-painted frames, practical effects, Victorian imagination—a man-to-the-moon adventure that predates space travel by sixty-seven years. Pure cinema magic, the moment spectacle became storytelling.

But Silent film with no narrative complexity. Modern viewers expecting plot or character development will find it baffling. It's mood and innovation, not drama.

Romancing the Stone1984

Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner navigate South American jungles with equal parts danger and humor. Genuinely inventive action sequences and a script that trusts its audience to enjoy the absurdity.

But The pacing drags in the middle act. Some of the machismo and gender dynamics feel dated now.

Rush Hour1998

Jackie Chan opposite Chris Tucker: non-stop action, physical comedy, genuine chemistry between mismatched partners. Proof Chan is a star, not just a stuntman, with impeccable timing and charm.

But Chris Tucker's character is exhaustingly loud and one-note. If you find him grating, nothing will rescue the film for you.

The Poseidon Adventure1972

An ensemble casts through a sinking ocean liner in a sprawling, elaborate adventure with real stakes. The template for disaster-spectacle films—ambitious, propulsive, genuinely entertaining despite its age.

But The 1970s dialogue and gender roles are not subtle. It's also very long for what is fundamentally a 'escape the building' plot.

Ghostbusters1984

Comedy-adventure that proves spectacle and humor belong together. Bill Murray's deadpan wit against Proton Packs and possessed buildings—a film that never forgets the laugh matters as much as the stunt.

But The special effects have aged poorly. Some find the tone inconsistent, swinging between slapstick and existential dread.

The Grand Budapest Hotel2014

Wes Anderson's meticulously designed globe-spanning caper with Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori. Every frame is painterly; the plot rockets along with genuine warmth and surprising emotional depth beneath the whimsy.

But Anderson's symmetrical aesthetic and pastel palette feels mannered and cold to many. The plot is slighter than it appears, and the twee tone isn't for everyone.

King Kong2005

Peter Jackson's remake combines practical effects, motion capture innovation, and genuine emotional investment. A globe-spanning adventure that remembers the monster is tragic, not just a threat.

But Three hours long with stretches that feel indulgent. The colonial attitudes baked into the source material are never quite addressed.

Spirited Away2001

Both center on a journey that changes the protagonist. Both use exotic locations as wonder rather than backdrop. Both understand that getting there matters more than arriving.

Hayao Miyazaki's animated odyssey: a girl navigates a surreal bathhouse while racing to save her parents. Rich, weird, visually stunning, tonally complex—a journey film that's about internal transformation, not just external geography.

But Japanese animation; the philosophical themes are oblique and require patience. Some English dub versions are mediocre. It's a slow burn, not a romp.

Jules and Jim1962

Both use geography and travel as metaphor for freedom and possibility. Both ask what happens when you can't stay still.

François Truffaut's love triangle unfolds across a twenty-year span and multiple continents. Playful, melancholic, visually inventive—a film that moves like Around the World spins but earns every emotion through character and time.

But French New Wave; the pacing is meditative where you expect narrative drive. The gender politics, though progressive then, read oddly now. Subtitled and nearly three hours.