Around the World in 80 Days (2022) Review

"Adventure is out there" --or so the movies tell us. Entertainment has been populated by stories of great quests into the unknown, from Up to The Lord of the Rings to Indiana Jones. Perhaps one of the most classic stories of adventure-seeking comes from the pages of Jules Verne's 1872 novel, Around the World in 80 Days. It's a book of such iconic adventure that it has stuck with readers for over a century, being made into several movies and TV programs.

The most recent update of this popular classic takes the form of a star-studded Masterpiece drama on BBC. Amidst the familiar story plot, setting, and names of Verne's novel, the characters themselves might feel unfamiliar. The three explorers on this quest feel a little bit like me and you.

Phileas Fogg has been living the past few decades as an armchair explorer in the shadowy rooms of the Reformed Club--until a taunting dare changes all that. Can he prove that he is more than the fearful, predictable, lifeless man that everyone sees?

Three explorers must grapple with life-changing lessons in this new BBC drama

Abagail Finch longs to be recognized for her value as a sharp-witted journalist, but her dad--who is also the editor of the newspaper--refuses to print her name. Can her coverage of a globe-trotting adventurer win her respect from her father and make a difference in an unjust world?

Jean Passepartout has experienced both deep love and great loss in his life, and the effect of his troubled past has left him wary of sticking in any place. Can he find the courage to stay long enough to find a home with his fellow explorers or will this trip be simply another detour in his long history of escapes?

In this reboot of 80 Days, the series allows itself a compassionate and deep look at characters who are real and flawed. Their new dimentiality adds vital depth to the timeless, high-stakes adventure, and--along with doses of humor, suspense, and action--sculpts a beautiful story of redemption about lost time.

About Time

Coward.

That's what someone has called Phileas Fogg. . As his eyes absorb the single word, it is understood that Fogg has begun to believe that he truly is a coward. The old life of adventure he once lived before the days of the comfortable Reform Club have melted into the past. The fear that he feels, that has slowed his life to a halt, is palpable. Now that word coward brings a sense of urgency to Fogg's life. Something, he realizes, needs to change.

Unlike the Fogg in the original book, who maximizes with efficiency every activity he undertakes, the Fogg of the series comes face-to-face with the conundrum of lost time. It's been wasted in hiding and purposeless waiting. Can he ever recover it again?

This conundrum of time penetrates to the core of the series. The main instrumental theme, written by acclaimed composer Hans Zimmer, was written to sound like the tick, tick, tick of a massive clock, starting out slowly in rhythm before spiraling into a breathless crescendo. Coward or Champion? the series asks us, and the question begs an answer. Finch and Passepartout's own questions are folded into the melody as time is running out. Will these explorers circumnavigate the globe--and can they find the answers they seek?

Hobbits and Hot Air Balloons

By episode one, Phileas Fogg, Jean Passepartout, and Abigail Finch are faced with an enormous decision. Stay in London, stuck in the rut of their old fears, or move forward in the most daring undertaking the modern world had seen? This call for adventure reminds me of Bilbo Baggins, the title character of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.

A hobbit-hole

Squirreled away in his nice, comfortable hobbit-hole in the peaceful country of the Shire, Bilbo Baggins is absolutely happy doing absolutely nothing. When Gandalf, a noble-hearted wizard, shows up at his door with an invitation to join a dangerous quest of glory and gold, Bilbo balks at the idea. "We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures," Bilbo says. "Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!”

Eventually, however, Bilbo is confronted with a sudden desire for something more. A part of him inherited from his ancestors stirs up a forgotten longing:

“Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.”

In a course I took on the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, our professor explained that Bilbo's willingness to take the risk and join the quest was an allegory for "spiritual openness." It was a willingness to jump whole-heartedly into the joy of following Jesus, despite the danger, dragons, or missed dinners that might accompany such a daring quest.

I think that's one of the things that makes Around the World in 80 Days so special. It recognizes that Fogg, Finch, and Passepartout are traveling for deeper reasons, be it lost time, the need for acceptance, or the search for a family. These reasons resound with each human heart, diving down to the core of humanity. At the same time, 80 Days doesn't just lament what's lost or missing; it celebrates what the characters discover.

Compassion, life, empathy, and the inestimable value of friendship are all celebrated with fervor in this TV series. Taking the journey of embracing life whole-heartedly, of pursuing the quest for joy, isn't seen as a burden. It's approached the spirited, suspenseful, high-stakes adventure we've always wanted, and we're invited for the ride.

Christmas Eve

As much as we all long deep-down for the drumbeats of quests and the joy of remarkable journey's, it sometimes feels impossible. I know that I easily feel burdened and overwhelmed by the day-to-day, drained and anxious. The energy, motivation, and joy that penetrate the heart of Around the World in 80 Days feels just out of our reach, and we're left not only desiring more but hoping for rest.

While this was likely not the intent of Verne or the BBC creators inspired by his legacy, I think the dates of Fogg's famous journey are really important. At the end of the 80 days, Fogg, Finch, and Passepartout have circumnavigated the globe. They've escaped assassins and shipwrecks and gunfights and personal conflict. At last, the final days are approaching to the journey's end and the clock is tick, tick, ticking down to the last day of the adventure: Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is the final date of quest to reclaim time, to embrace life. Fogg, Finch, and Passepartout, each carrying the heavy luggage of their own past, are trying to complete their journey on what is one of the most meaningful days of the year. It's the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, who came and redeemed what we could not.

Christ never wasted a moment. He brought us true acceptance. He adopts us into His family.

We all feel weary, tired, and too weak to begin a quest for gold and glory. The beautiful and sometimes shocking news is that Jesus offers us rest. We don't have to muster the courage, bravery, or strength. Instead, Jesus invites us to embrace Him, to rest in Himself. He gives us the strength to live life in love and hope.

I don't know about you, but sometimes we go through seasons that seem like uphill climbs. In the chaos, Jesus's tender heart invites us to find rest (Matthew 11:28-29). We are free to expend our lives in a daring surrender of love because Jesus is our source of Life. He is the never-ending rest and peace that will never leave us or abandon us. He gives us hope (Romans 5:5).

And, coincidentally, Jesus is the joy that makes this quest so amazing in the first place.

Conclusion

So we've come full circle. Adventure is out there--that's true. As Fogg, Finch, and Passepartout learned, life is meant to be embraced and fully lived. Time is too precious, the journey is too exciting, the reward too great to let fear hold us back. Yet, forget not the date of the prize: Christmas Eve. The joy of the journey, the One that that infuses the adventure with life, is also the One who gives rest, resources, and gentle strength to go on, one remarkable day at a time.

Around the World in 80 Days isn't a perfect show. It has it's own bumps and pitfalls; viewers should be aware of mild language, brief suggestive content, and one scene that includes a character allowing himself to be killed in the heat of battle. But over all, the TV series is filled with qualities that delve into the meaning of life. Compassion, empathy, forgiveness, and loving friendship are the consistent highlights, and the show boldly and enthusiastically challenges its viewers to richly embrace life.

"Are you ready?" It asks us. "There's so much to discover--and you aren't alone. Let's leave the hobbit hole together and start the quest."

And as Fogg, Finch, and Passepartout learned, it's a marvelous adventure.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." --Romans 8:37-39

First image credit: The Guardian Second image credit: Unsplash Last image credit: BBC One