I didn't see much advertisement for this movie, but some of my favorite Disney Channel stars heavily promoted it online so I thought-What the heck. I'll kill 103 minutes and see it. (Yes, 103, not 100 or 105 like most Disney Channel movies.) I personally thought it was okay, but I wouldn't see it again.
The movie follows 2 teen wizards- Nory and Reina, who are old enough to go to Magic School. Reina is put in the advanced classes, and Nora has to go to the Upside Down Magic classes. You see, Nora can turn into animals, but only odd ones, like a crossover between a cat and fire-breathing dragon. Because of this odd(and deemed dangerous) trait, she must do regular school work in a basement until her powers wear off and she can be expelled from the school. Believing in her powers, Nory convinces her class to stand up to her school and show what they are made of.
In one word, I thought this movie was okay. Not bad, but not good, just in the middle. There were engaging parts, and there were dull parts. However, I am 21 and this seemed to be geared towards kids under 10 years old. Single-digit aged kids should get a kick out of it, Double-digit aged kids will be mostly bored.
Now, you may say: "Well, you're 21 and this a Disney Channel Movie for kids." Yes, but there's quite a few DCMs that came out in my late teens and adulthood that I enjoyed very much- Kim Possible, Invisible Sister and Adventures In Babysitting among them. I actually own 2 of these on DVD! And growing up, past the aimed audience age, I have enjoyed movies like Lemonade Mouth, Camp Rock, and Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie. So the quality is not due to my age, it's due to how the demographic was focused on the kids and not the adults who may be watching. That within itself is not a bad thing, but that does limit your crowd and that's why my recommendation is quite marginal.
Another problem that I had was that this seemed to be a knock off of Harry Potter. Here's one example of many: you know how Hogwarts students go through Platform 9 3/4 by seeping through a brick wall? Going to the magic school Sage Academy is very similar, going through a tree or something similar. This again shows how unoriginal Disney has been lately-first with sequels, then with remakes, now with ripping off other properties.
The film was quite predictable as well. To give you one of many examples, it was clear early on that this movie was going to have a message of "be yourself" and words that cliché were used near the end. I think I rolled my eyes when that happened, along with a mental "I knew it."
So, yes, I found this dull, predictable, and unoriginal. But there were a few things I enjoyed about the movie:
For one thing, I recognized a few of the stars from the Disney shows that I watch- Siena Agudong and Max Torina were both guest stars from my favorite show, Sydney To The Max, and Ricardo Ortiz was in 2 episodes of Gabby Duran. These appearances made this film somewhat watchable. In fact, I wouldn't say that any of the actors were bad, just that their material was a bit lackluster.
Also, while I was often bored, I could tolerate the movie for about half the run-time. Considering that it was about 90 minutes without commercials, I enjoyed it for around 45 of them. However, at most, that's all I can say about the movie.
When I give a movie a 6/10, it's a negative review that means I didn't like it but a certain audience would like it better. As I mentioned, that would be kids under 10. If you are 11 or older, then this movie is not recommended to you. If you must see it with the intended audience, have your phone or something ready to use during the movie.
This is a magical film for kids, but the others will went to cast a spell on the 90 minutes they spent.
Reverse Recommendation: If you want a similar movie that's actually good, then I highly suggest seeing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Even if you have seen it, re-visiting it would be a better use of your time.
*If you enjoyed this review, please check out my others at https://www.imdb.com/user/ur119773892/?ref_=tt_urv or my old page at https://www.imdb.com/user/ur88612516/?ref_=tt_urv
Please note however that I review grown up movies as well, so be cautious as I discuss my thoughts on the content in some of these movies! Enjoy!
The movie follows 2 teen wizards- Nory and Reina, who are old enough to go to Magic School. Reina is put in the advanced classes, and Nora has to go to the Upside Down Magic classes. You see, Nora can turn into animals, but only odd ones, like a crossover between a cat and fire-breathing dragon. Because of this odd(and deemed dangerous) trait, she must do regular school work in a basement until her powers wear off and she can be expelled from the school. Believing in her powers, Nory convinces her class to stand up to her school and show what they are made of.
In one word, I thought this movie was okay. Not bad, but not good, just in the middle. There were engaging parts, and there were dull parts. However, I am 21 and this seemed to be geared towards kids under 10 years old. Single-digit aged kids should get a kick out of it, Double-digit aged kids will be mostly bored.
Now, you may say: "Well, you're 21 and this a Disney Channel Movie for kids." Yes, but there's quite a few DCMs that came out in my late teens and adulthood that I enjoyed very much- Kim Possible, Invisible Sister and Adventures In Babysitting among them. I actually own 2 of these on DVD! And growing up, past the aimed audience age, I have enjoyed movies like Lemonade Mouth, Camp Rock, and Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie. So the quality is not due to my age, it's due to how the demographic was focused on the kids and not the adults who may be watching. That within itself is not a bad thing, but that does limit your crowd and that's why my recommendation is quite marginal.
Another problem that I had was that this seemed to be a knock off of Harry Potter. Here's one example of many: you know how Hogwarts students go through Platform 9 3/4 by seeping through a brick wall? Going to the magic school Sage Academy is very similar, going through a tree or something similar. This again shows how unoriginal Disney has been lately-first with sequels, then with remakes, now with ripping off other properties.
The film was quite predictable as well. To give you one of many examples, it was clear early on that this movie was going to have a message of "be yourself" and words that cliché were used near the end. I think I rolled my eyes when that happened, along with a mental "I knew it."
So, yes, I found this dull, predictable, and unoriginal. But there were a few things I enjoyed about the movie:
For one thing, I recognized a few of the stars from the Disney shows that I watch- Siena Agudong and Max Torina were both guest stars from my favorite show, Sydney To The Max, and Ricardo Ortiz was in 2 episodes of Gabby Duran. These appearances made this film somewhat watchable. In fact, I wouldn't say that any of the actors were bad, just that their material was a bit lackluster.
Also, while I was often bored, I could tolerate the movie for about half the run-time. Considering that it was about 90 minutes without commercials, I enjoyed it for around 45 of them. However, at most, that's all I can say about the movie.
When I give a movie a 6/10, it's a negative review that means I didn't like it but a certain audience would like it better. As I mentioned, that would be kids under 10. If you are 11 or older, then this movie is not recommended to you. If you must see it with the intended audience, have your phone or something ready to use during the movie.
This is a magical film for kids, but the others will went to cast a spell on the 90 minutes they spent.
Reverse Recommendation: If you want a similar movie that's actually good, then I highly suggest seeing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Even if you have seen it, re-visiting it would be a better use of your time.
*If you enjoyed this review, please check out my others at https://www.imdb.com/user/ur119773892/?ref_=tt_urv or my old page at https://www.imdb.com/user/ur88612516/?ref_=tt_urv
Please note however that I review grown up movies as well, so be cautious as I discuss my thoughts on the content in some of these movies! Enjoy!