Johnson Thomas 

Crusade in Jeans

Direction: Ben Sombogaart
Cast: Joe Flynn, Stephanie Leonidas, Emily Watson, Michael Culkin, Benno Furmann
Rating: **½

Crusade in Jeans by Thea Beckman is a popular Dutch children’s book. The book has been adapted (in selective fashion) for screen by William Haney and was set into screenplay by Chris Craps and Jean Claude Van Rijckeghem.

Fifteen year old Dolf (Joe Flynn) uses a prototype time machine constructed by his mother (Emily Watson) and gets stuck in the Dark Ages (1202), struck down by bandits and saved by the beautiful and tough Jenne (Stephanie Leonidas).

The adaptation is obviously piecemeal. In the book, Dolf is a being with certain powers but here he is shown as weaker and less in control. The cinematography and production design is well executed but the brief flashes of SFX are not seamlessly incorporated.

The script is a minefield of unresolved sub-plots and the ending appears invalidated and ridiculous. The brief flashes of thrill and adventure do not satisfy either. But that’s not to say that children won’t enjoy it.