La casa con un reloj en sus paredes

The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a throwback to the good old-school fantasy horror flicks with a pinch of comedy. The acting and directing perfectly compliment this effective blend. This is sure to be an enjoyable watch for anyone looking for a family fun time.

The story follows orphan Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) as he is sent to Michigan to live with his uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) and family friend Florence (Cate Blanchett). He discovers his uncle is a warlock and enters a magical world unlike any before. Nonetheless, this power can come of great malice, especially under the control of Isaac Izard (Kyle McLachlan), an evil wizard who wants to pioneer the beginning of time at the cost of all who live. To do this, he assembled plans for a time-travelling clock under the influence of blood magic and, as long as it exists, it will keep ticking, counting down to the Apocalypse. However, he died before he could finish the clock and hid the clock in his house, where Uncle Jonathan and Florence now live. Now, Lewis, Jonathan, and Florence must find the clock before it is too late, as necromancy threatens to rebirth Izard.

Owen Vaccaro, as Lewis, debuts impressively characterizing his inner pedant and emotional vulnerabilities. It is truly exciting to watch his character struggle and master the magic arts and current social status. Jack Black, as Jonathan, is my favorite character as he excels with vibrant gestures and comic timing. His struggles and determination to connect with nephew Lewis about his orphanage are touching to watch and strengthened the movie's emotional core. Cate Blanchett, as Florence, is enthralling with her sharp remarks and magic finesse. Last, but not least, Kyle McLachlan, as Isaac Izard, goes all in with his villainous and determined goals with the help of his equally cunning wife Selena, played by Renee Elise Goldsberry.

Eli Roth talentedly directs the movie with his previous horror techniques taking full play in the movie's suspenseful scenes with the blood taking a backstage. 80s influences are clear within these, too, enlightening those of older ages. My favorite scene is the movie's introduction of the clock's ticking because the ambient sound mixing and design left me craving more. However, my problem with this movie stems from the plot development in general as the movie does not really get going until halfway through by delving full force into Izzard's endeavors. This leaves the first half feeling dull and repetitive at times as it just feels like an hour-long introduction to the house.

The message of the movie is to always believe in hope and people, as that carries Lewis past his family tragedy and elevates him to become a hero. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 10 because of some intense horror.

Reviewed by Arjun N., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst dot org

The main kid is so adorable and Jack Black is a delight as always! It's shocking how every film before this that Eli Roth did had elements of horror and some kind of super gruesome scenes; highly respectable he changed things up. Great story about a haunted house among other things and still watchable for kids. Unfortunate how it's only got 6.0 on IMDb it deserves a lot better.

It's obvious that the main audience target are children but the movie has enough elements to keep adults watch the movie till the end. Some mild horror-like elements appear trough the film, but nothing too scary. Mostly you'll enjoy the fantasy and comedy elements. The story is kind of interesting but lacks some more depth in the main parts and character side story's. Connections between characters are never really expressed and constructed trough the film. Characters have a comedic appearance with a great acting parts from Owen Vaccaro and Cate Blanchett. Overall, a watchable fantasy comedy movie for a quite evening.

Love Cate Blanchett, have liked various films of Jack Black and he is great when used properly (same with Kyle MacLachlan) and love fantasy/comedy. Seeing the advertising, 'The House with a Clock in Its Wall' doesn't blow the mind in this regard but it intrigues and the idea of the story sounded great (have not read the book).

Found 'The House with a Clock in Its Walls' something of a mixed bag while finding enough to like. It won't click with everybody, with some finding it too dark or others finding it too basic and lightweight so target audience may be an issue for some, both feelings very understandable. Its best elements are very good but the flaws are obvious. Not one of the best films of the year by all means, while also not one of the worst.

The most noticeable good asset is the splendid production design, just love the house which was like a character of its own and the atmospheric photography. Personally thought the special effects were quite good, particularly enchantingly eerie were the mannequins and even more so the pumpkins. The music has a nice mix of fun and scary which matches the film's objective of being scary/fun.

Eli Roth is an unusual choice for director, for him this is quite tame and very far removed from what he is famous for, he does very competently if with not an awful lot of distinction. 'The House with a Clock in Its Walls' starts off very well, it's interesting, is amusing and entices one right in. There are some fun set pieces and some unsettling ones. A highlight is the baby body with Black's head. Much of the final act excites. The adult cast are fine. Jack Black is both serious and eccentric and manages both with aplomb. Cate Blanchett is amusing, her and Black's banter and chemistry is a high-point of the film, and Kyle MacLachlan does a lot with a somewhat underwritten and underused villain role.

Owen Vaccaro's performance however was very uneven, sometimes he was appealing and quirky but at other points, and they appear more often, the acting is forced and he sometimes over-emoted. Sunny Suljic is much more natural if not without robotic moments. As said, Izard could have been a much more interesting character with more screen time and depth for all MacLachlan's best efforts.

Some of the middle act does drag when the action loses momentum and things become especially slight in an already very slight and at times rather lightweight story that could have been fresher. The satanic elements didn't seem to gel with the rest of the film and enough for older viewers to question the target audience intended. The dialogue is funny with Black and Blanchett, could have been more natural elsewhere. The very end felt too much like an anti-climax when the mostly exciting action in the final act where much of the story leads somewhere becomes a little rushed.

In summary, a lot of good elements but also with faults too difficult to ignore. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Sorry to criticize the kid, but the boy can't act and it was painfully distracting. It would also be more interesting if more fun magic tricks were shown...