Treasure Island, the 1883 boy\u2019s adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, is in the public domain. This means anyone can do pretty much whatever they want with it, without having to worry about paying for the rights. That\u2019s important information to have going into MGM+\u2019s new six-episode adaptation. It\u2019s impossible to say for sure if \u201cfree\u201d was a factor in the decision making process that led to this turgid, intermittently inspired slog, but it certainly didn\u2019t hurt. No one was asking for this, no one needs it, and over the course of five hours and change, the show tries and fails to make a case for its own existence. At least producing it was slightly cheaper than it might have been if the producers had gone with a copyright-protected tale of nautical swashbuckling.<\/p>\n
Give the show this much: It\u2019s an adaptation that\u2019s not afraid to deviate from its source material, whether or not those deviations are well-advised. While protagonist Jim Hawkins (Tom Sweet) is still a young man working with his mother to run an inn, he and mom make extra cash by exploiting Jim\u2019s photographic memory, a talent that proves useful when it comes to extremely flammable treasure maps. In an even bigger change from the novel Bess Hawkins (Hayley Atwell) has her role substantially expanded, turning the character from a background figure in Jim\u2019s journey to manhood to one that nearly takes over the role of protagonist from her son.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an odd choice, one of several throughout the series that never quite reaches its potential. Atwell is determined and forceful, and there are hints in the early-going that her fixation on raising Jim\u2019s status (and hopefully her own) make her willing to compromise herself in dramatically compelling ways. But this never gets beyond skin deep. At one point, the character speechifies about how her status as a woman has robbed her of the ability to choose her own way like a man. It\u2019s a didactic monologue, one whose truth is so obvious and indisputable that it\u2019s almost possible to ignore how little it has to do with anything around it.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the fundamental flaw haunting all the attempts here to freshen up Stevenson\u2019s original narrative: none of them accomplish much beyond novelty. Take Aaron Graham (Jack Huston), an character created for this version of the story. A merchant with secrets of his own, Graham serves as a potential role model for young Jim, set against the more malevolent and criminal Long John Silver (David Oyelowo). It\u2019s an intriguing idea, but the show pauses mid-journey for an hour long adventure that has nothing whatsoever to do with the treasure that supposedly motivated all of this; and while this pause offers a chance to deepen Graham\u2019s character, its disconnect from the main narrative makes it difficult to care much.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s Silver himself. The adaptation chooses to bring him into the story much earlier than in the novel, spoiling the character\u2019s ruthless pragmatism before Jim has a chance to be charmed by his rough-and-ready charisma. This robs the narrative of one of its more compelling ambiguities, and Oyelowo\u2019s performance goes a step further, playing the larger-thanlife figure with a low-key gravitas better suited to a courtroom drama than a seafaring romp. It\u2019s not terrible work, and the show\u2019s best scenes center on him and Graham sparring for Jim\u2019s affections, but by downplaying the drama, the character loses the energy that made him an icon.<\/p>\n
Adaptation requires change, and the argument is often made that one should try and view said adaptation apart from its origins. The problem, though, is that this is a show called Treasure Island, featuring several characters from the novel Treasure Island, and following, roughly, the plot outlines of that novel. Anyone familiar with the book will be wondering why certain things were done differently, and coming up blank on the answers. And for those unfamiliar with it, the ultimate cowardice of the changes\u2014the desire to make something new while still retaining enough brand identity to make it marketable\u2014makes for a viewing experience that can never quite decide on what it actually wants to show you.<\/p>\n