The Unseen Movie Review

Five Children and It

E. Nesbit’s children’s romantic fantasy has already been adapted for the screen as a TV series for the BBC a decade or so ago. It was an utterly inoffensive, innocent and sweet tale of a group of children who discover a Psanmead – a kind of fairy – in a sand pit near their home. It is a friendly soul, and empowered to grant the children a wish a day, which can only last until sunset. Book, TV series, and this new film version alike make best use of this simple tale of childhood adventure to create a lovely, if perhaps a tad old-fashioned, and absorbing world.

Boasting some stellar adult actors from Kenneth Branagh and Zoe Wanamaker to John Sessions and even the aging Norman Wisdom, as well as some effective animatronics from the legendary Jim Henson Company, the only question is whether or not this kind of homely and wholesome story can capture the imagination of a generation of children more used to violent computer games, Pokemon, Harry Potter, and the grit of the likes of Eastenders.

The only other potential problem is the presence of the comic genius that is Eddie Izzard, voicing the Psanmead itself. On stage, Izzard’s stand-up routine crosses age and language barriers alike – he is fluent in French and makes full use of this talent – and has earned him a huge fanbase in all corners of the world. The only trouble is that, to date, every single film Izzard has appeared in has bombed at the box office, no matter how good either he or the film itself may have been.

In certain quarters, “the curse of Izzard” is a standing joke. He was in a competent adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s best novel, The Secret Agent – it failed to make any money; he was in The Avengers – it was awful; he was in Velvet Goldmine- both it and he were great, but audiences failed to turn up; same story with Mystery Men. While the videos of his stand-up shows sell in their hundreds of thousands, and his stage shows sell out within hours, and critics and public alike adore his surreal humour and general affability, for some reason Izzard can’t seem to persuade anyone to come along to his movies.

This apparent curse is an utterly unfair one, and no more so than here. This is never going to be a blockbuster to compete alongside the likes of the Harry Potters and Spy Kids of this world, but director John Stephenson, in his feature debut (he previously directed the recent television adaptation of Orwell’s Animal Farm) has done a good job of turning Nesbitt’s charming story into an equally charming big-screen outing which should happily appeal to the entire family.

Concentrating on plot and characterisation more than computer-generated gimmicks, merchandising tie-ins and puerile jokes, and offering some valuable advice about the responsibilities and consequences of power and decision-making, this is the sort of children’s film which doesn’t seem to be made any more. It deserves to be supported wholeheartedly.

posted by Nosemonkey @ 12:00 AM