[yasr_overall_rating]
A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world.
Jack Black is an acquired taste but even those who detest him will see he was a good fit for the role of Jonathan Barnavelt, a warlock trapped in a magical house and a monstrous clock stuck in the walls. Cate Blanchett oddly fits as his best friend Florence Zimmerman, so glad they did not choose her to be his love interest. Somehow, the two bring magic to the screen with a little humor and a few scares. If your child is under the age of ten or scares easy, pick another movie. The writers and directors – Erick Kripke, John Bellairs, and Eli Roth, did a great job of deflecting the creepy parts with humor, but anticipate a few bad dreams from the creepy vintage dolls alone.
Jack plays Jonathan Barnavelt, warlock and magician extraordinaire who becomes the guardian of his ten-year-old nephew when his parents die in an accident in 1955. Prim and proper Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) takes a bus to his new home to find his new life will differ greatly from life with his mom and dad. Jack-o’-lanterns by the door year round, a chair that acts like a dog, a farting topiary griffin, and an uncle who lets him eat cookies for dinner, to name just a few of the changes. While Lewis can stay up all night and eat whatever he wants, Uncle Jon has a single rule: do not open the cabinet in his office.
As Lewis realizes his Uncle Jon and best friend Florence are not normal, they clue him into their extra-curricular activities and teach him almost all of their secrets, almost. Before long, Lewis learns about the warlock Isaac (Kyle MacLachlan), who had lived in the house before his uncle and who died of mysterious causes. He also learns about the clock hidden by Isaac, somewhere in the walls of the house, a clock Uncle Jon searches for every night to no avail.
Trying to make a friend is difficult enough for the new kid who wears goggles to school, let alone a boy who is learning to become a warlock. Lewis manages to make one friend and to impress this new friend, he tries to share his magical new world with a popular boy named Tarby (Sunny Suljic), who breaks into Uncle Jon’s cabinet. The boys find a powerful book and use a spell to bring Isaac back from the dead. What they do not know, is that Isaac was a terrible warlock with exceptional talent and had a plan to end the world. Signs of Isaac soon make an appearance, putting Jon and Florence on the alert. Lewis’ secret comes to light, and the family has to work together to save the world and stop the evil warlock from ending it.
The acting was all right, nothing to brag about but the plot was interesting and some of the special effects were spectacular. At one point, Lewis touches the water inside a fountain in the garden and brings the entire solar system to life. They pick up the stars, rotate the moon, and touch the milky way, the effect was awe-inspiring. The reason to watch the movie, though, is the humor. A little goofier than the humor from “Harry Potter” (the first three years) but it still had a Harry Potter-esque feel with the old house and touches of wood everywhere. If Harry Potter movie and Mrs. Peregrine had a baby, this would be it.
The storyline with Tarby could have been much more interesting. His and Lewis’ friendship made no sense. You cannot put a cast on a popular kid and suddenly expect him to be friends with the geeky new kid. Cate Blanchett, with her melancholy performance, stole the show from her male counterparts. Her acting and presence was so different it was almost as if she was superimposed into the movie. Jack Black was all silly-looks and strange antics but his behavior suited the character and was quite believable, although I wouldn’t be friends with Uncle Jon any more than I would Jack.
Watch the film because it’s funny in all the right ways, but avoid taking little children who scare easily. As I said before, the writer inserted humor after scary scenes to soften the blow, but bad dreams are still possible with those horrid dolls and the sinister pumpkins. Trust me, the topiary griffin, the chair, and the house with the clock in the wall all have enough personality to keep kids laughing instead of watching their own shadows. The house pulled some interesting tricks and children will love the secret entries and interesting paraphernalia but the house could have been more involved, like moving staircases, although the stain glass window was epic. A little something was missing, something I cannot quite place my finger on, but a fun film for kids of most ages.
In theaters Friday, September 21st
