[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.
So what really makes for a five-star rating? Is it just the biased favoritism of the dabbling dilettante? Or perhaps it’s nothing more than the unattainable mark meant only to give the critic a measure by which to criticize? Worse, is the calculation for the qualifying characteristics of a top-tier film as frustratingly elusive as the response to the often begged question “how will I know when I’m in love?”…
But sometimes you do ‘just know.’ You feel it in your bones: the magic of hope, the crush of loneliness, the delight of imagination, the darkness of fear, the rush of unbidden laughter, the invitation to belong.
Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro), a disoriented orphan sent to live with an estranged uncle he barely knows, discovers just how terrifying the unknown can be after his parents are killed in a car crash. His uncle, Jonathan (Jack Black), is unpredictable, weird, and wholly unsuited to raise his sister’s son. Lewis is not only grieving the loss of his parents, and especially his mother, but he is also struggling to make friends in a new school where not everyone is exactly who they pretend to be. Meanwhile, Uncle Jonathan is obviously worried about something, the old house is creepy, and everything echoes with the sinister ticking of one thousand clocks, give or take a few.
Even so, with playful riffs of zinging humor and the enticement of hidden doors of possibility, the house of 100 High Street is irresistible. Uncle Jonathan’s closest friend and charming neighbor, Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett) is a dazzle to behold and it doesn’t take long for Lewis to realize that these two are as thick as thieves with secrets up their sleeves. As clues begin to fly about from conspiring stained-glass window panes to panting stuffed puppy recliners, the young boy discovers a world of magic through which he learns to face unanswerable heartache, dare to be wrong, and also how to find his strength in his own thrillingly absurd way.
However, the truth may be that these are only the words of the starstruck dilettante. As an avid Nancy Drew fan, the house is a dream house, the mystery of a young girl’s fantasy. Scott Tobias (NPR) gave the film a withering review, even labeling it as “An Eyesore.” Tobias may be more informed about the literary nuances of the original story written by John Bellairs in 1973, but in everything else, he seems to have completely missed the simple pleasure of imagination. Not only that, but I think he misses the importance of what the film does accomplish through – or in spite of – its CGI-rich storytelling.
- Home doesn’t come from a picture book.
- We learn the most from our fears and our mistakes.
- Dare to be what you love.
- Laughter will always be the best medicine.
There is more to discover in this film than a warlock could shake a stick at, but even if you don’t come away with some heartfelt “ah-HA!” moment, parents and 10-year-olds, teens and tweens, wizards and witches will love this movie. Although I would have to agree with Tobias that the shrunken baby Uncle Jonathan whizzing on his nephew was a bit much, he is absolutely wrong in saying that this film is a disgrace to the original. This film (written by Eric Kripke and directed by Eli Roth) is a wonderful A-DAP-TAY-TION, combining the curious intrigue of a-book-only-NPR-would-call-a-classic with the limitless imagination and technological capabilities of today’s children. Besides, anyone who would refer to this film as an ‘eyesore’ either completely missed Cate Blanchett or simply lacks appreciation for a true classic.
In theaters Friday, September 21st
