The House with a Clock in Its Walls – film review by Elana Bowman
Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) is sent to live with his Uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) in an old Michigan mansion.
It doesn’t take long for Lewis to discover that his new home and family life is bordering on the eccentric side. After meeting with mysterious neighbour Mrs. Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett) and following a few odd mishaps, and strange (literally) bumps in the night-time; they all have to uncover the secret of the clock in the walls … well you have to see why!
Lewis is not an ordinary kid; he is an only child, is recently orphaned, is the new kid at school and is obsessed with finding ways to make himself indomitable.
Kids will relate to his weirdness (and some will even relate to the loss of his mother especially and his move into this rather odd house) There are some typical school bullying scenes as Lewis tried to find his own sense of magic and worth.
Although the movie is frightening at times, full of magic and sorcery; Jack Black and Cate Blanchett bring a lot of black as well as silly humour and gags to lighten the mood. Cate Blanchett as Mrs Zimmerman is at her thespian best; her role is wonderful in this.
Adults with (slightly) older kids will love this one; the acting is brilliant, there are a lot of moral scenes, it deals with our ultimate humanness, and it’s a fun brilliantly made film. Directed by Eli Roth who makes terrifying movies for adults, this is probably too dark for younger viewers.
The House With a Clock in Its Wallsis adapted from John Bellairs’ same-named 1970s children’s book.
Fun fact: The fictional House With The Clock in the Walls was based on the real-life Cronin Mansion in author John Bellairs’ hometown of Marshall, Michigan, which served as the basis for the town of New Zebedee used in his books.
Starts in Australia in local cinemas on 20thSeptember
