If I remember correctly, it was sometime last year when one of my young students told me about a movie he watched. It was "The House With a Clock in its Walls". My student was in the 5th or 6th grade of elementary that time and I really enjoyed listening to him as he relayed the story of the movie he recently watched.
Several days or around a week ago, this movie was released on Netflix and I suddenly remembered that this was the movie my student was talking about... and I thought that I have to watch it, and so I did.
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The story is about a boy named Lewis who recently became an orphan when both his parents died in an accident. He then was told to live with his uncle who he has never met. When he got to his uncle's place, he was quite weirded out because there were a lot of clocks inside the house. He discovered some strange things happening and later on found out that his uncle is indeed a warlock.
Excited of this discovery, he somehow convinced his uncle to teach him how to do magic. And the boy was indeed natural at it. One thing though, his uncle forbade him to open a certain cabinet which will bring really huge trouble if opened. However, due to some reasons, Lewis disregarded his uncle's warning and ended up doing a high-skilled forbidden magic.
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What Do I Think About the Movie
As you have seen in the trailer it's a house full of magical things and secrets. It's a fantasy world silently existing in the real world. The people living in that house were somehow regarded as strange weirdos, but they enjoy being tagged as one. It's interesting how they call themselves a bevy of swans!
I like the relationship between the three main characters, Lewis, his uncle and the purple swam, Ms. Zimmerman. It doesn't focus only on magic, but it's also about human relationship. It's also about accepting the past, living in the present with the happy future in mind.
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This is one of my favorite scenes. It was when Lewis was trying to practice his magic and the two adults showed him the beauty of it. I love stargazing and stuff, but it I were to see this firsthand, I'd be really happy and contented. If only there's a planetarium nearby, I'd probably be there most of the time.
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I also enjoyed how they practice doing magic together. Somehow, Lewis felt very happy and one more thing. Do you see the chair behind the uncle? It's actually one of my favorite characters. Yes, he's a supporting character in the movie and I think there's a spirit of a dog living in it. It's so sweet and clingy, just like real dogs. It's also relaxing to be with based on the movie. I love how some things in the house were given life... you'll get to know more of them when you watch the film.
I watched it with my parents and I believe such a film is perfect to watch with family, especially when there are kids. It a great way to bond and travel to a world of magic and fantasy yet teach us a realistic lesson. :) I hope you'd get the chance and enjoy this movie as well.
I'll end my review here. Thanks for reading and I'll see you in my next review!
This looks amazing. Going to watch it tonight.