House with a Clock in Its Walls, The (2018) [Blu-ray]
Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline: This house knows what makes you tick.

In the tradition of Amblin classics where fantastical events occur in the most unexpected places, Jack Black and two-time Academy Award (R) winner Cate Blanchett star in THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS, from Amblin Entertainment. The magical adventure tells the spine-tingling tale of 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) who goes to live with his uncle in a creaky old house with a mysterious tick-tocking heart. But his new town's sleepy façade jolts to life with a secret world of warlocks and witches when Lewis accidentally awakens the dead.

Storyline: Lewis Barnavelt, after losing his parents, is sent to Michigan to live with his uncle Jonathan. He discovers his uncle is a warlock, and enters a world of magic and sorcery. But this power is not limited to good people: Lewis learns of Isaac Izard, an evil wizard who constructed a magical clock with black magic, as long as it exists it will keep ticking, counting down to doomsday. He died before he could finish the clock, but he hid the clock in his house, where Uncle Jonathan now lives. Now Lewis and Jonathan must find the clock before it finishes its countdown and ends the world.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, December 13, 2018 With The House with a Clock in Its Walls, gore maestro Eli Roth (The Green Inferno, Cabin Fever) has left his comfort zone to expand his horizons into more family friendly filmmaking territory, shaping a tale made not of viscera and violence but rather witchcraft and wizardry with a metaphorical stab at exploring the human heart. The film follows the experiences of a young, recently orphaned boy who comes to live with his peculiar warlock uncle who himself lives in a supposedly haunted house. The film is based on the book of the same name by John Bellairs, a 1973 novel and one in a series featuring young protagonist Lewis Barnavelt, played by Owen Vaccaro (the Daddy's Home films) in this 2018 film adaptation.

Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) is a well-read 10-year-old boy whose life was recently turned upside down when both of his parents were killed in an automobile accident. He's moving away from the life he's known to live with his uncle Jonathan (Jack Black). The eccentric Jonathan lives in a house lined with clocks along its walls. He keeps Jack-O-Lanterns lit year round. He imposes no rules: no bedtime, no bath time, and tells Lewis he can eat whatever he wants for dinner, including chocolate chip cookies. When strange happenings begin to become too strange and Lewis grows suspicious of his uncle and his new surroundings, Jonathan admits that he's not just an ordinary man but also a practicing warlock. Jonathan's neighbor, Florence (Cate Blanchett), is a witch and a frequent guest in Jonathan's home. The two are searching for a clock hidden in the walls, placed there by the previous owners, the deceased Isaac and Selena Izard. At school, Lewis learns that local legend says the house he's living in is haunted. Lewis hears strange noises at night and witnesses peculiar happenings during the day, supporting that theory. When Jonathan's secrets are out and Lewis discovers that the house is essentially alive with animated objects that should have no life in them, Jonathan eventually agrees to train Lewis in the ways of magic. As Lewis attempts to build his magical skills, he befriends a boy at school named Tarby (Sunny Suljic), a popular and athletic student who is running for class president. Desperate to impress and keep his friend, Lewis dabbles in darker magics with disastrous result.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a superficial movie that dazzles and delights with its seamless integration of modern wizardry: computer generated special effects. The film expertly integrates them into its dense and detailed world -- Jonathan's house, primarily -- that like many of the Harry Potter interiors comes alive but often in the background rather than as a focal point. Certainly there is some fun to be had with the various animated objects, both friendly and, at film's end, not-so-friendly, but the film is first and foremost a character study, following young Lewis through the grieving process and exploring how dabbling in the world of magic and then devouring everything he can get his hands on both helps and hinders the process. Roth smartly balances character and special effects, creating a world of wonder but one that does not overwhelm the story. He makes magic integral but not the focal point. There's always a tangible sense of flesh and blood to the movie, pulling focus on Lewis' emotional needs throughout the entire journey. His own wizardry introduces him to dark and dangerous paths that may lead him to destruction but may also lead him to come to peace with his parents' tragic death and his new place, and abilities, in the world.

Eli Roth crafts an enjoyable film with The House with a Clock in Its Walls. It can't quite find the heart it so desperately wants to uncover, though the film does balance narrative with visual effects in satisfying structural execution. Performances are strong, unsurprising with heavyweights like Black and Blanchett in lead roles, and young Owen Vaccaro capably carries the film as the protagonist. Universal's Blu-ray delivers rock-solid 1080p video, a terrific Atmos soundtrack, and a healthy assortment of bonus content. Recommended.

[CSW] -1.4- I just didn't really like this movie. The acting was great. The sets were excellent especially the house. The ambiance was right. I think that the humor and the story line just didn't catch on or interest me. If you don't find it humorous the plot holes grow bigger and bigger. The bathroom humor (for example, pumpkin vomit, urination and magic topiary creature poops out dead leaves) was more a personal turn-off than humor. I build miniature animatronics so the automatons didn't produce the scare factor that it probably would for the general audience. All-in-all the only things that I truly enjoyed were the sets. My compliments to the set designer but sets alone don't make a movie.
[V4.5-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box motion codes were available at the time of this rental although they are available now (and would probably help).


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