Goodness, this movie sure didn't go over with a lot of people! Oh, the anger, the disappointment, the sadness!
But actually it's pretty good, at least according to my girlfriend and myself.
Based on the classic kid's book, this tells the story of two children who go on a crazy, mysterical adventure in search of their father, a physicist who somehow made it into space with nothing more, it seems, than a wish and a prayer.
I've read the book a couple of times, once as a kid and once as an adult surprised because he didn't remember how Jesus-y the book was.
I like the character of Meg, who is smart and determined and afraid and in desperate need of self esteem. One of the major themes was, love yourself, and I found Meg's growing confidence touching.
I was a bit disappointed by Charles Wallace. I recall the character being odd and brilliant, but in the movie he really seems like a pretty ordinary kid. I had an affinity to the book Charles Wallace because I saw myself as odd and intellectual gifted (in retrospect I was more the former than the latter), but I didn't see myself at all in this movie version.
The three wise ladies are fun, particularly a funny Reese Witherspoon as the most prickly of the bunch. The special effects looked good (caveat, I saw this on TV) and the story is well paced. Like any good kid's movie there's a nice mix of humor and pathos.
The religious aspects of the book have been stripped out, which I consider generally positive, although it does make the whole good/evil thing feel a little amorphous. I also felt the book was more interested in scientific thought than the movie, which leaves out things I loved as a kid like visiting a two-dimensional world.
So why don't people like this? It could in part be the disappointment of the movie related to the trailer. The trailer made it look like the whole movie was this stunningly gorgeous bit of magic and female empowerment, but the scenes that made up the trailer are more the exception than the rule. Even though I enjoyed the movie, I think I would have enjoyed the movie promised by the trailer more.
There are also super-fans of the book who are going to object to any changes, including the lack of religiousity.
There are also, unfortunately, people who object to the children being biracial, wanting them to be the white children they pictured when they read the book. In fact, as I write this, the most-liked review on IMDB specifically complains about that. (The second most-liked review takes pains to say that's not the problem, though, so I don't think this is a simple case of crackers pushing the rankings down).
Look, it's not a perfect movie. It's conceptually silly, and it's not one of these kid's films like A Little Princess that transcends kids movies, but it's lots of fun. My guess is it will be one of these movies that becomes more popular in 15 years as a generation of kids who liked it become adults who can offer opinions. Always remember: The Wizard of Oz bombed when it was released.
But actually it's pretty good, at least according to my girlfriend and myself.
Based on the classic kid's book, this tells the story of two children who go on a crazy, mysterical adventure in search of their father, a physicist who somehow made it into space with nothing more, it seems, than a wish and a prayer.
I've read the book a couple of times, once as a kid and once as an adult surprised because he didn't remember how Jesus-y the book was.
I like the character of Meg, who is smart and determined and afraid and in desperate need of self esteem. One of the major themes was, love yourself, and I found Meg's growing confidence touching.
I was a bit disappointed by Charles Wallace. I recall the character being odd and brilliant, but in the movie he really seems like a pretty ordinary kid. I had an affinity to the book Charles Wallace because I saw myself as odd and intellectual gifted (in retrospect I was more the former than the latter), but I didn't see myself at all in this movie version.
The three wise ladies are fun, particularly a funny Reese Witherspoon as the most prickly of the bunch. The special effects looked good (caveat, I saw this on TV) and the story is well paced. Like any good kid's movie there's a nice mix of humor and pathos.
The religious aspects of the book have been stripped out, which I consider generally positive, although it does make the whole good/evil thing feel a little amorphous. I also felt the book was more interested in scientific thought than the movie, which leaves out things I loved as a kid like visiting a two-dimensional world.
So why don't people like this? It could in part be the disappointment of the movie related to the trailer. The trailer made it look like the whole movie was this stunningly gorgeous bit of magic and female empowerment, but the scenes that made up the trailer are more the exception than the rule. Even though I enjoyed the movie, I think I would have enjoyed the movie promised by the trailer more.
There are also super-fans of the book who are going to object to any changes, including the lack of religiousity.
There are also, unfortunately, people who object to the children being biracial, wanting them to be the white children they pictured when they read the book. In fact, as I write this, the most-liked review on IMDB specifically complains about that. (The second most-liked review takes pains to say that's not the problem, though, so I don't think this is a simple case of crackers pushing the rankings down).
Look, it's not a perfect movie. It's conceptually silly, and it's not one of these kid's films like A Little Princess that transcends kids movies, but it's lots of fun. My guess is it will be one of these movies that becomes more popular in 15 years as a generation of kids who liked it become adults who can offer opinions. Always remember: The Wizard of Oz bombed when it was released.