The trailer tries to sell you on the movie based on the crazy stuff you will see in the magic house. But the movie spends so much time focusing on the kid and his activities at school. The worst part is, not all of the magic stuff is fun or interesting. The director actually made the best parts of the movie less impactful.
It didn't help that the story was also kneecapped by boring and cliche circumstances that felt lazy. The movie tricks you as you watch it. I thought, "Oh this is nice so far" but quickly realized that the movie got worse as it went on. The weird scene with Jack Black at the end, the bad CGI, weak character motivation, this movie had it all.
Though containing many of the same narrative beats and overall structure, the movie "The House With A Clock In Its Walls" ultimately dumps much of the gothic vibe of Bellairs’ tale in favor of a different sort of retro style: that of the Amblin movies of the ’80s, which did right by children’s entertainment through a refusal to sugarcoat their scares or talk down to the intended audience. The result is a film that deviates in numerous ways from the book, but most of the changes can not only be defended, but praised.
Anyone who comes to the movie looking for a faithful page-for-page translation of the book’s elegantly simple story and hushed mood may leave disappointed.
It pays homage to Bellairs not by trying to ape the gothic minimalism of the prose, but by re-situating it into a more expressive, colorful, and energetic world. The tale of a confused and isolated young boy out of his depth but finding comfort in a makeshift family not only survives the translation to another medium, but finds new life in its sense of wonder at the magical universe depicted.
Not everything in the movie’s more contemporary bids to connect with its youthful audience are winners. A few of Black’s exclamations are awfully anachronistic for 1948, and a running gag involving a sentient topiary griffin with a penchant for shitting out mulched leaves in a windy blast is lame toilet humor, albeit the G-rated type. But the film is mostly a great success, an adaptation that delivers winning sentiment and minor-key scares without losing sight of the fundamental appeal of Bellairs’ book.
The film embraces the book’s 50s aesthetic, from the costume design, to the sets, to the props and the music chosen for the scenes. The eponymous house is exquisitely designed to both enthrall and unsettle the viewer, with furniture that moves, stained glass windows that change scenes, and mechanical mannequins that creep you out. The decor even plays into the plot, with the books in Jonathan’s study, the clocks on every surface and even the drawings on the walls of Lewis’ bedroom. The set is beautiful and well worth a second (or even third) viewing just to take in all the details put into it.
"The House with a Clock in its Walls" is well worth the price of admission, and is a film clearly made with love and respect to its source material. If you’re looking for a fun, suspenseful film with a lot of heart this fall, this is one you’ll want to see in theaters.
It didn't help that the story was also kneecapped by boring and cliche circumstances that felt lazy. The movie tricks you as you watch it. I thought, "Oh this is nice so far" but quickly realized that the movie got worse as it went on. The weird scene with Jack Black at the end, the bad CGI, weak character motivation, this movie had it all.
Though containing many of the same narrative beats and overall structure, the movie "The House With A Clock In Its Walls" ultimately dumps much of the gothic vibe of Bellairs’ tale in favor of a different sort of retro style: that of the Amblin movies of the ’80s, which did right by children’s entertainment through a refusal to sugarcoat their scares or talk down to the intended audience. The result is a film that deviates in numerous ways from the book, but most of the changes can not only be defended, but praised.
Anyone who comes to the movie looking for a faithful page-for-page translation of the book’s elegantly simple story and hushed mood may leave disappointed.
It pays homage to Bellairs not by trying to ape the gothic minimalism of the prose, but by re-situating it into a more expressive, colorful, and energetic world. The tale of a confused and isolated young boy out of his depth but finding comfort in a makeshift family not only survives the translation to another medium, but finds new life in its sense of wonder at the magical universe depicted.
Not everything in the movie’s more contemporary bids to connect with its youthful audience are winners. A few of Black’s exclamations are awfully anachronistic for 1948, and a running gag involving a sentient topiary griffin with a penchant for shitting out mulched leaves in a windy blast is lame toilet humor, albeit the G-rated type. But the film is mostly a great success, an adaptation that delivers winning sentiment and minor-key scares without losing sight of the fundamental appeal of Bellairs’ book.
Alex McLevy
A.V. Club
The film embraces the book’s 50s aesthetic, from the costume design, to the sets, to the props and the music chosen for the scenes. The eponymous house is exquisitely designed to both enthrall and unsettle the viewer, with furniture that moves, stained glass windows that change scenes, and mechanical mannequins that creep you out. The decor even plays into the plot, with the books in Jonathan’s study, the clocks on every surface and even the drawings on the walls of Lewis’ bedroom. The set is beautiful and well worth a second (or even third) viewing just to take in all the details put into it.
"The House with a Clock in its Walls" is well worth the price of admission, and is a film clearly made with love and respect to its source material. If you’re looking for a fun, suspenseful film with a lot of heart this fall, this is one you’ll want to see in theaters.
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