Five Children and It Movie Review:


As the war in Europe intensifies, Cyril (Bailey), Robert (Highmore), Anthea (Claridge), Jane (Rogers) and Lamb are evacuated from London to their Uncle Albert’s (Branagh) house in the countryside. Their Uncle and his housekeeper Martha (Wanamaker) allow them the freedom of the mansion with the exception of the greenhouse. Intrigued as to why this room is out of bounds, Freddie decides to investigate and finds a door in the base of the statue in the center of the room. Joined by the rest of the children, they open the door to find that it leads to a deserted beach. But this is no ordinary beach, as this is the home of a sand fairy called Psammead (Izzard) and as the children have found him, they are granted one wish a day.

As film studios finally discover that children’s novels can in fact make great movies, does Five Children & IT have what it takes to make IT in this ever-growing market? Unfortunately not.

Based on the novel by E. Nesbit (who also wrote the Railway Children), Five Children & IT just doesn’t have what it takes to grab your attention from the off. The signs where good at first however. The adult cast is filled with some great British character actors, the special effects where to be provided by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the story has great potential and Eddie Izzard was providing the voice of IT. So what went wrong?

This is a story seen through the eyes of the children but the problem is that the kids are just not good enough actors to carry the movie. Freddie Highmore is the best of the bunch, showing some real talent during the more dramatic scenes but his character just isn’t likeable enough to get behind. He just comes across as a mischievous, annoying little brother who always gets everyone in trouble. Hardly a hero figure for the piece. The rest of his siblings are not much better and come across as very one dimensional and uninteresting. None of their characters are developed at all but you also concluded that even if they were, the young actors playing them are not talented enough to reflect this anyway.

On the plus side the adult cast members are very good but are not on the screen enough to make a significant impact. Kenneth Branagh is as good as ever as the maths obsessed Uncle. He plays the role with a great eccentricity that typifies the period and the kind of person who would live in a house of that size. Zoë Wanamaker’s Martha is good but criminally underdeveloped. Tara Fitzgerald doesn’t really have a lot to do but look worried. Look out for John Sessions and Norman Wisdom making cameos.

It is Eddie Izzard that steals the show as IT, the sand fairy that grants the children their wishes. This is a great vocal performance by the comic that makes the movie more watchable than it should have been. It is just a shame that we don’t see enough of IT and that the wishes he grants are not adventurous enough.

Five Children & IT is a missed opportunity. The child cast really lets the movie down and the lack of development of the adult characters is almost criminal when you see the talent the filmmakers had at their disposal. This is a movie with a message but when that message is forced down your throat, you just want to leave IT alone.

Star Rating = * *

Jamie Kelwick

 

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