Review of The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) by Jason M — 30 Sep 2018
The House With a Clock in it's Walls.
Initial Reaction: The What in the What?
Main Characters.
Jonathan Barnavelt, Florence Zimmerman: Two neighboring spellcasters played by Jack Black and Cate Blanchette.
Lewis Barnavelt: He's an ordinary kid played by Owen Vaccaro.
Plot Summary.
When Lewis' parents die in an automobile accident, he is sent off to his uncle, Jonathan. When he arrives, he notices some odd things going on in the house that Jonathan lives in. Objects are moving about and strange lights and noises happen all around the house.
Lewis finds out that Jonathan and his next door neighbor Florence, are a warlock and a witch - and Lewis wants in on the spellcasting.
So Jonathan teaches Lewis how to be the next warlock - with some help from Florence.
However, there are secretes in the house that should not be uncovered (which means they are going to be uncovered). They include a clock in the walls (hence the title) and an evil warlock and his wife who yearn to recreate humanity in their own way.
SCORING.
Main Characters.
These three are really good. Jonathan and Florence are fun to watch because they make fun of each other - and don't get insulted or offended. And Lewis plays the perfect kid who doesn't know what he's getting involved with. SCORE: 9.
Supporting Cast.
The rest of the cast is okay - the main bad guy has some moments. But the other kids in the film are totally forgettable - namely the leading girl who spends far too much time looking pretty for the camera. SCORE: 7.
Plot.
The story is fun to follow and I liked every scene with the main cast in it. But all the scenes that occur within the school just doesn't do much to the story. SCORE: 8.
Originality.
It's your typical kid who wants to become a wizard (or in this case warlock). But Jonathan and Florence add much needed spice to an okay set up. SCORE: 7.
Violence Factor.
Over the course of the film there have been a few warlocks who get killed (off screen). But nothing else happens except for guys getting changed into strange things. SCORE: 8.
Other Moral Issues.
This film does a good job of showing how a family of stranger can come together and how each of us can solve problems with our own set of skills and abilities. SCORE: 8.
Final Score (out of 60): 47 % Score: 78.33%.
The leading cast makes this a magical film to watch.
This review of The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) was written by Jason M on 30 September 2018.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls has generally received mixed reviews.
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