I remember seeing this movie as a kid and liking this movie. Now that I am a teenager I still like this movie but I have newer thoughts on this movie. So let's discuss, shall we?
So first off, the movie begins and already the musical score has shown itself to be really powerful and great. The opening credits scene is nicely done as well. When the movie actually starts is where I kinda start getting nit-picky. The movie is narrated by a kid, and just in my opinion, he is a little wooden and you can tell he probably hasn't voice acted much. His actual acting is a different situation.
We get introduced into the main protagonist, Mahoney, portrayed by Natalie Portman, who is great in this movie. I am a musician and so is she in this story so I can really connect to her struggles and thoughts. I love people who I can connect to. I like all the actors in this movie but she stands out which is not a bad thing.
When the Emporium, which is basically a character by itself, is introduced, there's a montage of the awesome magical things the store can do. My only problem with this montage is that some of the shots are awkward and a bit off in some places. And the CGI, and let's be honest in some places there had to be CGI, it's not the best and looks like a straight to DVD movie even though it was released in theaters. However, I love all the store has to offer us. It's like Toy Story but live action which I think is pretty cool.
Now it's not just the main kid in this movie but all the kids in my opinion seem off. I felt like all they had to say was pretty cheesy and because they are just kids they don't act the best. Apart from that, the rest of the actors are actually really good and have really good lines. The comedic moments and dialogue is really good. The slapstick in this movie isn't the best and didn't always land with me. And in my opinion, because of the big picture of this movie, some of the slapstick is actually not needed. Another nit-pick, as the movie goes on, some of the editing in terms of putting together the shots don't always align and are sometimes painfully obvious. Also, each "chapter" is organized as if it was a book, which I don't mind. However, the chapter titles are pretty cheesy and in my opinion, strange. But maybe that's the genius of this movie. There are a couple really good scenes in this movie and one of my favorites is when Eric, the kid, shows Henry, or the "Mutant," his hat collection. They have such a nice playful banter and always makes my family and I crack up laughing.
My only big flaw with this movie is the end or the last "chapter". I just don't get it. After Mahoney obviously made the block of wood fly because she believed and Henry passed out, Henry wakes up and Mahoney acts like it never happened. Then she believes again or whatever followed by surprisingly awkward dialogue. Then she starts to conduct the store back alive and the CGI here is definitely out dated and pretty bad actually. Also, there is like five seconds where the movie turns into like a computer animated film and it's completely useless. One of the last shots is of Mahoney conducting the store to life again but the problem is that almost nothing is happening and not to mention Mahoney's conducting is pretty awkward. And the very last shot is also pretty strange. There are just things I don't understand about this ending!
Overall, the movie definitely isn't bad. Far from it. It just isn't great. There are for sure some great scenes, and definitely some awkward ones. Overall the special effects were mediocre which is disappointing. The sound editing and mixing are fine. The score is pretty good and overall the characters are good as well. Just the script and mainly towards the end just kind of gets a little ridiculous. This is a good movie and it is worth seeing.
So first off, the movie begins and already the musical score has shown itself to be really powerful and great. The opening credits scene is nicely done as well. When the movie actually starts is where I kinda start getting nit-picky. The movie is narrated by a kid, and just in my opinion, he is a little wooden and you can tell he probably hasn't voice acted much. His actual acting is a different situation.
We get introduced into the main protagonist, Mahoney, portrayed by Natalie Portman, who is great in this movie. I am a musician and so is she in this story so I can really connect to her struggles and thoughts. I love people who I can connect to. I like all the actors in this movie but she stands out which is not a bad thing.
When the Emporium, which is basically a character by itself, is introduced, there's a montage of the awesome magical things the store can do. My only problem with this montage is that some of the shots are awkward and a bit off in some places. And the CGI, and let's be honest in some places there had to be CGI, it's not the best and looks like a straight to DVD movie even though it was released in theaters. However, I love all the store has to offer us. It's like Toy Story but live action which I think is pretty cool.
Now it's not just the main kid in this movie but all the kids in my opinion seem off. I felt like all they had to say was pretty cheesy and because they are just kids they don't act the best. Apart from that, the rest of the actors are actually really good and have really good lines. The comedic moments and dialogue is really good. The slapstick in this movie isn't the best and didn't always land with me. And in my opinion, because of the big picture of this movie, some of the slapstick is actually not needed. Another nit-pick, as the movie goes on, some of the editing in terms of putting together the shots don't always align and are sometimes painfully obvious. Also, each "chapter" is organized as if it was a book, which I don't mind. However, the chapter titles are pretty cheesy and in my opinion, strange. But maybe that's the genius of this movie. There are a couple really good scenes in this movie and one of my favorites is when Eric, the kid, shows Henry, or the "Mutant," his hat collection. They have such a nice playful banter and always makes my family and I crack up laughing.
My only big flaw with this movie is the end or the last "chapter". I just don't get it. After Mahoney obviously made the block of wood fly because she believed and Henry passed out, Henry wakes up and Mahoney acts like it never happened. Then she believes again or whatever followed by surprisingly awkward dialogue. Then she starts to conduct the store back alive and the CGI here is definitely out dated and pretty bad actually. Also, there is like five seconds where the movie turns into like a computer animated film and it's completely useless. One of the last shots is of Mahoney conducting the store to life again but the problem is that almost nothing is happening and not to mention Mahoney's conducting is pretty awkward. And the very last shot is also pretty strange. There are just things I don't understand about this ending!
Overall, the movie definitely isn't bad. Far from it. It just isn't great. There are for sure some great scenes, and definitely some awkward ones. Overall the special effects were mediocre which is disappointing. The sound editing and mixing are fine. The score is pretty good and overall the characters are good as well. Just the script and mainly towards the end just kind of gets a little ridiculous. This is a good movie and it is worth seeing.