There have been several adaptations of Jonathan Swift’s iconic adventure tale, yet none featured the type of lewd, larger than life personality which Black embodies.

Predictably, no surprises are found in Black’s performance, yet that it could work so well in this film is another matter entirely.   

Black stars as Lemuel Gulliver, an insecure mail room employee at a respected Manhattan newspaper, who lies his way into a gig as a travel journalist. Assigned to cover the Bermuda Triangle, Gulliver is whisked away mid journey to the quasi fascist land of Lilliput, where very tiny yet industrious people declare him as their champion.  

It doesn’t take long for Gulliver to take advantage of his new position, and through his lies and influence he slowly transforms Lilliput into, well, what you would expect if Black were ruler of his own PG rated world, with vanity fuelling every declaration of his imaginary prowess, hard rock music the national soundtrack (KISS feature heavily), and the Star Wars saga his own personal biography.

If it all sounds over the top, that’s because Gulliver’s Travels is just that, director Rob Letterman purposefully creating a colourful fantasy comedy that is every bit is entertaining as it is annoying, filled with hammy performances and impressive special effects and set designs.

A supporting cast of big names are game to what Letterman wants. Jason Segal and Emily Blunt are good fun as forbidden lovers (the former trying an English accent to adequate results), and Chris O’Dowd almost steals the movie as Gulliver’s adversary, the consummate prick General Edward.

Yet Gulliver’s Travels is the Jack Black show: big, loud, overblown, sometimes crude, yet with a soft, gooey centre. But above all, it’s unexpected.

Of course it all comes down to how viewers will take to Black’s over the top, “ska-doosh” brand of comedy. He sings, he dances, he makes a fool of himself. Hell, in one scene he even “drops trou” and extinguishes a burning building by urinating on it. Not your cup of tea? Then this is not your film.