Lukewarm 'Water' trudges along at plodding pace

“Water for Elephants” could use an elephant hook to prod it along a little quicker, and some emotional fireworks to bring some burning desires to the main characters.

After all, this is supposed to be a timeless story of a tragic romantic triangle set against the backdrop of the Big Top during the Great Depression.

To work well, Francis Lawrence's period drama needs the one thing it doesn't get: the sense of unstoppable romantic destiny that Jacob shares with Marlena.

Here, they're not destined to be together so much as they appear to bump into each other by circumstance, and, having few other options, fall for each other.

Based on the best-seller by former Grayslake resident Sara Gruen (which might explain Jacob's lengthy voice-over narration guiding us along), “Water for Elephants” is told as a flashback by an elderly man named Jacob (Hal Holbrook), who appears to know something about the terrible Benzini Brothers circus tragedy of 1931.

Jacob was there.

Holbook smoothly passes his narrative responsibilities to his younger self, Jacob (Robert Pattinson), a promising student of Cornell University in veterinary science.

One of those cruel twists of fate later, Jacob has no family, no house, no degree, no money and no future.

Demoralized, he hits the road. He hops a train and it changes his life.

It's the train transporting the Benzini Brothers circus, and the ruffians in the boxcar want to toss him out.

But a kindly, aging mentor named Camel (the charismatic Jim Norton) takes him under his protective wing, and works to get Jacob a job under their ruthless, volatile, cost-effective circus boss August (“Inglourious Basterds” star Christoph Waltz, apparently cornering the market on human hand grenades with their pins pulled).

August takes a liking to the educated lad, especially since his vet skills might help the limping horse that his performer wife, Marlena (a tepid Reese Witherspoon), uses in her circus act.

Marlena knows her husband doesn't really care about the horse; he just wants to use it in the show as many times as he can. It's efficient.

Slowly, Jacob becomes infatuated with Marlena, an orphan discovered, trained and later married by August.

Meanwhile, August, always worried about finances, takes a chance on a new investment: a 53-year-old circus elephant named Rosie.

When the gentle giant appears to be totally defiant to instructions, August becomes so frustrated that he beats the animal, almost killing it.

Then, in a happy coincidence, one of Jacob's quiet abilities turns the elephant into the show's savior, an engaging performer that packs the tent. (Maybe, destiny meant to unite Jacob with Rosie, not Marlena?)

In adapting the book to the silver screen, Richard LaGravenese refashions more traditional back stories for his main characters. A big change was to take August, the literary animal trainer, and the book's abusive circus owner, Uncle Al, and roll them both into Waltz's character.

Waltz plays his de facto villain with eerie restraint. (August gets rid of unwanted personnel by having them thrown off the train during the night. And we all know what happens to kindly, aging mentors in the movies, don't we?)

Pattinson plays Jacob with a restraint that doesn't quite smolder.

So, “Water for Elephants” reduces its conflicting characters to a romantic animal lover vs. an unhinged capitalist.

At least in Lawrence's last movie “I Am Legend,” the director had one big emotional payoff: Will Smith euthanizing his beloved pet dog before it evolved into a killer zombie canine.

Nothing in “Water for Elephants” comes close.

<b>“Water for Elephants”</b>

★ ★ ½

<b>Starring:</b> Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Jim Norton, Hal Holbrook

<b>Directed by:</b> Francis Lawrence

<b>Other:</b> A 20th Century Fox release. Rated PG-13 for language, sexual situations, violence. 120 minutes.