The Secret of Moonacre
Dakota Blue Richards stars in The Secret of Moonacre
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Wednesday, 04, Feb 2009 02:39
Directed by Gabor Csupo, out February 6th, starring Ioan Gruffudd, Dakota Blue Richards, Tim Curry, Natascha McElhone, Juliet Stevenson, 103 mins.
In a nutshell...
Magical, sweet, adventurous, charming, but drawn-out.
What's it all about?
Based on the novel, The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, The Secret of Moonacre is a family adventure through Moonacre Valley. The journey begins when a girl named Maria Merryweather who is accompanied by her governess must live with her taciturn and eccentric uncle in Moonacre Manor after recently being orphaned. To Maria's surprise, she discovers that within the manor are magical twists, romance, and family secrets revolving around a family feud. And it is up to Maria to resolve the dispute in order to bring peace to Moonacre Valley.
Who's in it?
The film is directed by Gabor Csupo, a Hungarian-born animator who has produced shows like Rugrats and Duckman and directed Bridge to Terabithia. Dakota Blue Richards, who plays the main character, Maria Merryweather, is new to the movie industry having made her movie debut in The Golden Compass. Although Juliet Stevenson, who plays Maria's governess, is most notably known as a stage actress, she has gained recognition in films like Bend It Like Beckham. Ioan Gruffudd, as Maria's uncle, has had roles in Hornblower, Titanic, and Black Hawk Down. Natascha McElhone's best-known role was in The Truman Show with Jim Carrey, while the infamous Tim Curry is arguably best known for his portrayal as Dr Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
As an example.
"There are very strange things going on in this house."
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
It would seem far-fetched if The Secret of Moonacre made its way to the Oscars. Although the movie has its endearing moments, it is too scattered and hastily put together to merit any real recognition. Additionally, there is no element of surprise and it falls short of the success of comparable efforts, namely the Chronicles of Narnia franchise.
What the others say
"... a tepid fantasy-adventure weighed down with annoying swaths of leaden whimsy.this bland Euro-pudding might have slight appeal for young girls who can identify with the plucky 13-year-old heroine played by Dakota Blue Richards." - Joe Leydon, Variety
The movie was fantastic! It had humour and excitement, it was just overall a good movie! The characters Miss Heliotrope and The Chef were awesome. They made me laugh so hard!" - Purple-plunk-monster, IMDB
So is it any good?
Although this film is primarily meant for children, it's unsuccessful in capturing all the elements that a children film needs.
The Warner Bros release is too serious to the point that there were several incomprehensible moments for the young audience while there are moments in which Csupo fails to take advantage of its comedic opportunities, such as the chef's clumsiness, but the director failed to do so.
Though a children's film might be expected to be simple, The Secret of Moonacre lacks the depth needed for meaningful plot development. It's more interested in meeting a typical, glamorous Hollywood standard rather than concentrating on the quality of the script and producing a unique and memorable children's story. Aside from the poor story development, all of the actors delivere a great performance and delved into the mysterious, eccentric, humorous, or mystical characters required of them.
7/10
Muriel Taing