Ever wonder what it would be like to visit a different society?  Or spend time in a world with tiny people?  In Part One of Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift, a British doctor, recounts his experiences on the island of Liliput.  Lemuel Gulliver experiences captivity, royalty, and a new society. The 21st Century setting of the movie helped me better understand the story, compared to the book’s 18th Century language. 
Both the movie and the book open with an introduction of Gulliver’s life.  However, in the movie Gulliver is an aspiring writer working in the mailroom of a Manhattan newspaper company.  He is later given a traveling assignment to the Bermuda Triangle.  In the book, he is a doctor ready to set sail on the Antelope.  They both end-up shipwrecked on Liliput, after a big sea storm. When the Liliputians first found Gulliver, he was tied up and escorted to the king’s palace.  The book made it seem so serious, while the movie showed a more humorous side.  After Gulliver saves Liliput from invaders, he is treated like a hero.  Instead of them building a normal house for Gulliver, like in the book, the Liliputians build him a very modern looking mansion.  In the book and movie, Gulliver has a big impact on Liliput’s society and way of life.  The movie showed the royal court watching Gulliver play foosball and plays depicting Titanic and Star Wars.  Gulliver claimed those stories were true and parts of his life.  Liliput also built new buildings with TV screens and lights in their town, just like Times Square.  The way they spoke also became more relaxed and less stilted because of the way Gulliver spoke.  In the book, Gulliver creates trampolines for the stunts men and shows the workers new tools they can use for their jobs.  He also changes their way of life, just not as much.
The movie also adds romantic leads to the story.  The book didn’t have that; it was all based off of Gulliver’s adventures.  Gulliver also has a friend, Horatio, in the movie.  Adding the romance interests and friends helped me relate to the movie.
Gulliver gives Horatio very modern dating advice. Horatio learns cheesy pick-up lines and song lyrics from Gulliver, and manages to get the girl.  Horatio and Gulliver stick together throughout the movie.  Gulliver also likes someone, one of his co-workers.  Adding extra characters and story lines was a very good idea.
I enjoyed the movie way more than reading the book.  The book did have more substantial information and a better storyline.  However, the writing of the book made it difficult for me to understand what the story was about.  The movie’s easy going attitude was a breath of fresh air, after reading the book.  Making Gulliver a little stupid and corny was a great idea because it allowed for other people to relate to him.  At home, he was a nobody and in Liliput, he was a hero, a star.  I think everyone wants to be remembered for something, just like Gulliver.  The romantic story lines were great.  They added more variety to the movie.  Watching the movie gives you a better understanding of the book, rather than just reading it.