This is a truly awful movie. Where to start! The standard of acting, the costumes, the effects, the script. But the biggest criticism is that so much has been ripped off from the Harry Potter movies. Not ten minutes into the movie and a 90% identical facsimile of Dobby appears. It went downhill from there. It is a pity because the story idea was good and in more competent hands it might have been a good solid family movie. Some movies are so bad that they become much-loved icons of "bad". This is not one of them. I'm away now to perform the Obliviate spell on myself to forget I ever wasted time watching this dross.
4 Reviews
Expelliarmus
alisoncollard8414 January 2024
I can't understand why Warner Bros or JK Rowling haven't instructed their lawyers due to the obvious plagiarism of the works of Harry Potter? Even the soundtrack is the HP theme just slightly altered but not enough. To this atrocious mess add in an appallingly dreadful script, wooden acting on an industrial scale, embarrassing FX, plus a dead ringer for Dobby, and the subsequent melange is a horror show, but not even Ed Wood could force himself to be tied to this. Hopefully all involved are no longer working in the industry and all copies of this film will be incinerated to protect future generations.
I couldn't watch anymore
NuttyBaby26 May 2024
This started off okay when the kids found a magic book and a box filled with wands. Despite the poor acting, I gave it a chance and kept watching. It was really awful that one of the kids in the film died, but weird how no one actually cared really apart from his friend. The villains are seriously comic and even look silly. Then an hour or so into the film, a character starts singing, and this becomes a musical but not very good. Soon it's like watching a bad quality Harry Potter film when students are invited to a magic wizarding school by steam train, all carrying wands. Its a rip off to the Harry Potter film, not entirely but halfway. I gave it a 2 because of the decent background effects of bats and birds, adding ambience, although it was like a school panto instead of a film.
Great Family-friendly Film
191b28 July 2023
The Wizards Book is a thoroughly enjoyable film suitable for audiences of all ages. Think about your favorite big budget high-fantasy film and now stir in some indie sensibilities. What you end up here is a fine mix of action, comedy and family-friendly entertainment. There's alot of mileage to unpack here in 98 minutes and many of the scenes work as a series of cumulative vignettes that add layers of nuance to the grand mosaic. Joe Ciminera directs in a loose, yet effective style pairing impressive landscapes with more intimate locations. The actors are all fantastic and a special nod goes out to the the younger cast members who really shine. Many future stars are to be seen here. Overall, I highly recommend this film, perfect for any family movie night!
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