Review of The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) by Joseph D — 20 Sep 2018
Jack Black. Famous for raunchy musicals & martial arts animals, brings us yet another YA fantasy (probably inspired by a book, 'cause what ISN'T these days?!).
THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS.
Let's start with the premise. A kid moves in with his uncle, who happens to be a wizard. There's a big bad, needs trouncing. Epic coming of age tale. Pretty basic. At 105 minuets, it was actually a lot better than I expected. The story moved at a decent pace, didn't feel too slow, didn't feel too rushed; I thought it was fairly well balanced in it's story telling & time management.
The cast did a pretty good job. Jack Black & Kate Blanchett worked pretty well off each other as a couple of oddballs who've bonded over shared hardship & old baggage. The kids in the cast were also good, not insufferable, but they didn't act like little adults. The villain did a good job as both an intimidating monster, & a sympathetic character, Kyle MacLachlan's still got it!
The effects were great. I could tell what was CGI & what was practical, but the amount of practical sets & props, & the high quality of the CGI helped me suspend my disbelief. The atmosphere of each location really showed the effort put into the piece as a whole.
The film is set in the mid '50s, & the music really helped set the stage.
Most of these movies based on books tend to be a dime a dozen, but The House With A Clock In Its Walls really stands out, telling an entertaining story, & delivering the message that most "monsters" are just people in more pain than anyone should have to tolerate, but that same pain can be channeled into doing something positive. I'm giving this film 3 stars outta 5.
This review of The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) was written by Joseph D on 20 Sep 2018.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls has generally received mixed reviews.
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