Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5.10
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Lorenzo Izzo, Owen Vaccaro, Colleen Camp, Kyle MacLachlan, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Sunny Sulijc, Perla Middleton, Sandy Givelber, Alli Beckman, Christian Calloway, Vanessa Anne Williams, Jalyn Hall, De’Jon Watts, Kom Chauncheun, Anna Chauncheun.
However, you look at certain subjects like magic being portrayed in cinema, it is arguably fair to say that it has never been more popular than in the last 20 years; whether that is all down to the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter franchise and the continued writing of J.K. Rowling is up for discussion. What cannot be faulted though is the way that cinema itself embraces the illusion possible, the text of the scrolls acting as scripts and the sense of purity that is greeted with the film, a harkening back perhaps to humanity’s more attuned status to the world and the wider implications of living without the need of want.
Based upon the novel by John Bellair’s The House With A Clock In Its Walls is Director Eli Roth’s first venture into the family film and it is one done with incredible charm and depth.
Imagination is our greatest gift, the ability to share it with others is invaluable, and if it cannot be captured, framed like a picture for all to see, then somewhere along the line we have failed in one of the very basic tenants of humanity. It is a gift that doesn’t stop giving when presented with great care and in The House With A Clock In Its Walls, it is care that wins through with aplomb.
Aside from the great performances by the film’s two adult leads, Jack Black in devastatingly good form as Jonathan Barnavelt and Cate Blanchett is ever captivating mood as Mrs. Zimmerman, the film falls on the substance and timing of Owen Vaccaro, Sunny Sulijc, Kyle MacLachlan and the subtlety of Lorenzo Izzo. It is in these four actors that the film carries the greater subtext, the loss of a parent when so young carried marvellously and bitterly by Owen Vaccaro in particular.
The essence of magic on screen is such that it can often detract from the story being told, the true reason for the tale being narrated, that of responsibility, of breaking a sacred bond, and hopefully, forgiveness. It is a link to the audience, a promise that the hero will step forth and be recognised for the courage they display after a moment of weakness, of doubt, or insecurity, and in the same way that films such as The Sword in the Stone, Willow, Labyrinth, or even the franchise of Harry Potter have done so before. It is a realm and company in which The House With A Clock In Its Walls neatly fits and feels at home amongst.
A stirring film, a joyful and poignant piece which doesn’t shy away from its responsibilities, of the duty involved in capturing magic in all forms.
Ian D. Hall