The mystery of the house with the clock
The film with a slightly awkward title “The Secret of the House with a Clock” is a classic example of how one work works better for children than for an adult audience, despite the seeming universality of the narrative. It is easy to see the basic idea: inviting children (and adults!) Into a world where one should accept the darkness of a mature life, without giving up youthful imagination and enthusiasm. On the other hand, at the helm of this work with such a strong message, Eli Roth got up, whose cartoon and grotesque approach made this bitter saga about witchcraft and growing up to be nothing more than an attractive attraction. Although “The Secret of the House with the Clock” is not so bad as to throw the project into the cinematic basket, this story of wizards is not able to entice the viewer: unlike Harry Potter, there is no room for the development of several potentially important allegories.
So, the three main characters of the film are an orphan, a sorcerer and a kind witch. Young Lewis, after the death of his parents, goes to the estate of his uncle Jontana, where he lives with the witty wizard Florence (despite the cohabitation, their relationship is purely platonic). The mysterious house previously belonged to a friend of Jonathan - a dark wizard named Isaac Izzard, who died, but before he died he managed to create the doomsday clock. Naturally, the plot is more about the villain's return.
“The mystery of the house with the clock” seems to be an incredibly strange choice for the Eli Roth media entertainer responsible for the Hostel and other life-affirming pictures. When filming a family movie, the director was restrained, and indeed, he did highlight some alarming moments exactly as it should be: without excessive refinement, they only reinforced the impression of the grim story, without going over the edge. In general, the vision of a children's work (the script is based on the eponymous series of books) from Roth resembles the existing exaggerated Gothic style: it's not for nothing that the atmosphere of “The House with the Clock” is often compared to the projects of Tim Burton. The mansion presented in the film, of course, lacks a positive aura (as, for example, at Hogwarts), but this is more like a taste and the emphasis was clearly not on that.
As for the story, the script has both strengths and clear disadvantages. The latter include, for example, the characterless main character Lewis, most of the screen time which is devoted to whining and reactions to special effects. In general, the tape works much better if it focuses on adult characters and brings the heroes of Black and Blanchett to the fore, so that they have a nice quarrel with each other and moved the plot. Lewis, in contrast to the older inhabitants of the house, has a little awkward motivation: the young man is obsessed with finding friends, which, by the way, is rather weak, clarifying his character.
The acting game probably works for the positive. It would be unfair to blame the participants of the project in the careless work - all the actors worked as it should, let the film product feel so opportunistic. Blanchett suddenly discovers new images for himself, she is in good harmony with Jack Black, whose presence reminded of “Horror”. Owen Vaccaro pretty well got into the role of the weird Lewis, and Kyle MacLoclayn portrayed a spectacular antagonist.
The first experience of Roth in the family format is far from a masterpiece, but the fact that the project is creepy and frivolous at the same time is, well, beyond doubt. Considering the serious filmography of actors like Blanchett and McLaughlane, it is even pleasant that they are not afraid to look silly in the frame, which reinforces the family atmosphere of the picture, even if we take into account the frankly grotesque images. Although the acting, the chemistry between the characters, as well as the attention to detail in terms of costumes and scenery are certainly strong here, the story is incredibly uneven: the friendly tone quickly gives way to an alarming and vice versa. The final act also came out blurred, as, indeed, many other hyper-functional scenes that do not allow to feel the needs of the heroes correctly, but in general “The Secret of the House with the Clock” is more likely a successful Eli Roth film experiment, which, though not avoided the signature of its branded “dill” , created something that is clearly suitable for viewing in "sleep mode".
5.5 out of 10
So, the three main characters of the film are an orphan, a sorcerer and a kind witch. Young Lewis, after the death of his parents, goes to the estate of his uncle Jontana, where he lives with the witty wizard Florence (despite the cohabitation, their relationship is purely platonic). The mysterious house previously belonged to a friend of Jonathan - a dark wizard named Isaac Izzard, who died, but before he died he managed to create the doomsday clock. Naturally, the plot is more about the villain's return.
“The mystery of the house with the clock” seems to be an incredibly strange choice for the Eli Roth media entertainer responsible for the Hostel and other life-affirming pictures. When filming a family movie, the director was restrained, and indeed, he did highlight some alarming moments exactly as it should be: without excessive refinement, they only reinforced the impression of the grim story, without going over the edge. In general, the vision of a children's work (the script is based on the eponymous series of books) from Roth resembles the existing exaggerated Gothic style: it's not for nothing that the atmosphere of “The House with the Clock” is often compared to the projects of Tim Burton. The mansion presented in the film, of course, lacks a positive aura (as, for example, at Hogwarts), but this is more like a taste and the emphasis was clearly not on that.
As for the story, the script has both strengths and clear disadvantages. The latter include, for example, the characterless main character Lewis, most of the screen time which is devoted to whining and reactions to special effects. In general, the tape works much better if it focuses on adult characters and brings the heroes of Black and Blanchett to the fore, so that they have a nice quarrel with each other and moved the plot. Lewis, in contrast to the older inhabitants of the house, has a little awkward motivation: the young man is obsessed with finding friends, which, by the way, is rather weak, clarifying his character.
The acting game probably works for the positive. It would be unfair to blame the participants of the project in the careless work - all the actors worked as it should, let the film product feel so opportunistic. Blanchett suddenly discovers new images for himself, she is in good harmony with Jack Black, whose presence reminded of “Horror”. Owen Vaccaro pretty well got into the role of the weird Lewis, and Kyle MacLoclayn portrayed a spectacular antagonist.
The first experience of Roth in the family format is far from a masterpiece, but the fact that the project is creepy and frivolous at the same time is, well, beyond doubt. Considering the serious filmography of actors like Blanchett and McLaughlane, it is even pleasant that they are not afraid to look silly in the frame, which reinforces the family atmosphere of the picture, even if we take into account the frankly grotesque images. Although the acting, the chemistry between the characters, as well as the attention to detail in terms of costumes and scenery are certainly strong here, the story is incredibly uneven: the friendly tone quickly gives way to an alarming and vice versa. The final act also came out blurred, as, indeed, many other hyper-functional scenes that do not allow to feel the needs of the heroes correctly, but in general “The Secret of the House with the Clock” is more likely a successful Eli Roth film experiment, which, though not avoided the signature of its branded “dill” , created something that is clearly suitable for viewing in "sleep mode".
5.5 out of 10
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