Review of The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) by Matt J — 08 Nov 2018

Not a perfect movie but a good one and certainly worth seeing. Parents should be aware that this movie is rated PG in the old sense of the rating, "Parent Guidance recommended" where it is up to you to decide what your children will be able to take, not the more recent sense of "practically G" that was common in recent years. This movie does contain dark and scary scenes but that shouldn't automatically rule it out as children do need to experience that sort of thing from time to time. It's healthy and reasonable to challenge them with something darker.

Jack Black does a decent performance as Uncle Jonathan and while his performances in general tend to be hit or miss I suspect that's due to Jack getting type cast as a zany off the wall character. To a degree that's present here as well with him portraying an inherently abnormal character but that isn't the whole picture. As Uncle Jonathan, Jack is allowed to go through a range of emotions rather then just being a weirdo constantly especially in the second half of the film.

Cate Blanchett puts on a good show and a convincing performance. Like Jack Black she gets the opportunity to be zany and comical but with the occasional serious moments as well. This blends surprisingly well and fits the character rather then serious moments feeling forced or poorly handle. When the film gets serious it's treated with the respect it deserves.

Owen Vaccaro performs well though his character is a bit wimpy. This isn't a flaw persay as it's clearly intentional but when childlike crying happens don't expect the pretty crying of Hollywood. It's realistic and ugly, clearly upset with voice cracking and such like an actual child who's upset. Child actors get a bad rap but he holds up admirably among stars.

As for the aforementioned scary and unnerving content this movie doesn't shy away from the dark side of magic. Younger kids who've only ever been exposed to the happy fun everything ends well side of fiction might be shocked or suffer the odd night terror upon seeing this but ultimately this falls to the parents to handle. Furthermore I'm positive some oversensitive group or another has already accused this film of promoting satanic things or generally being unholy. While as mentioned black magic is shown it's not painted in a very pretty light and is openly condemned by the characters. That said the imagery might be considered mildly disturbing by some and should be treated with caution by parents, check it out first and see if you think it's appropriate for you children. Plot synopsis are already available online.

Furthermore where accusations of satanic magical influence are concerned it bares repeating that according to most modern religions, or at least the orthodox versions there of, witchcraft does next exist. A human in the real world could attempt witchcraft but nothing would happen as all magic ultimately lies with the deity or deities of the religion in question. If you have objections on the grounds of religion to this film they are most likely invalid on these grounds according to your own religion and it would be best to seek counsel from your pastor or equivalent. It will not teach your children how to do evil magic as the details are intentionally glossed over and such magic does not exist anyway.