User reviews

Did an early mystery movie release, brought two kids: both teen/tween range and they laughed, gasped and maybe a bit of a jump scare or two. It's not a perfect movie as you can read by some of the grumps here expecting an Oscar worthy effort but it's definitely worth a viewing, if only to remember what it was like to have an imagination and just sketch and why many of us sketched as kids.

I usually skip out on angel studios movies because of how religiously biased they are and the bad editing and subpar acting, but this one was actually done right. The acting was good, plot was good, characters written well, and overall a lot of fun. Highly recommend for a fun movie night at the theater with your family or by yourself(me) because all ages would enjoy this movie. Don't get me wrong, angel studios has a tendency to make a mid movie, but this one felt like more than a cash grab for christians.

Funny. Hilarious. Smart. With a giant, beautiful heart and soul!.

Seth Worley is a genius, and Sketch is his masterpiece.

Tony Hale brings remarkable depth to his role-delivering moments of comedic brilliance that remind us why he's so beloved, while also nailing the emotional weight of the film in ways that bring tears to your eyes.

D'Arcy Carden perfectly balances the tone of Sketch with a dynamic performance and masterful craft.

The young ensemble cast-many making their big-screen debut-are the magic at the heart of this film.

The writing? Impeccable.

The direction? Masterful.

The acting? Flawless.

In every way, Sketch is a must-see summer movie meant to be experienced in theaters.

Sketch is a fun movie that I think could've benefited from some script revisions and editing. There's a lot going for it; I saw this movie at TIFF and the announcer mentioned that director Seth Worley has a background in VFX - it shows.

This movie - the fourth such imaginary creatures come to life movie in 2024, weird ain't it - has some truly impressive CG creations. The movie may be low budget, but the art style of these creatures lends itself well to simple creations. They have texture and make sense in the context of the story, and are undoubtedly the best part of the movie.

Tony Hale is also really good in this, it's nice to see him in a leading man role and I think he plays this character - a grieving single father - quite well. He seems to be the most balanced character, despite film's characteristically snarky script Hale gets a lot of great sentimental moments.

The movie also has a good message and manages to tie itself up quite neatly and in a way I think all good family films should. It explores complicated emotions pretty well. It's a movie unafraid to get creepy at times and really reminds of how family films used to be; often tinged with darkness, because ultimately, life isn't all sunshine and rainbows.

I think what bothered me most about this movie was the script. It's a funny movie, yes, but you know when someone just can't tone it down and keeps cracking jokes, to the point where it's exhausting? I feel like Sketch has that problem. There are also A LOT of "wait, did you just say ____," jokes that occur WELL INTO the final act that I just found tiring after a while.

The movie also has kids. A lot of them. Two of them, the main boy and girl, are fine. They still can't help the movie's overly "MCU" tendencies of winking and joking at every opportunity. But there's one kid - Bowman - who gets WAY too much screen time and I find super obnoxious by the end of the movie. I'm sorry - he's not a great actor and he doesn't know how to interact with the CG creatures. There's a scene where he's supposed to be covered in them where it's evident he doesn't really know what he's looking at and it's super distracting.

There was also a noticeable issue with the sound; too loud and too quiet at times. Maybe it was my theatre, but I suspect it was the mixing. I feel like the movie's score was honestly pretty bad; it never really captured the tone it was supposed to go for and reminded me more of Evil Dead Rise than anything...which just didn't fit.

Overall, this is a fun movie, and it really reminded me of family adventure films from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. We definitely need more of these, but this is a debut film and it has the hallmarks of a director to watch for, but who is clearly just starting out.

I got to see this movie at TIFF. I absolutely loved the depth of the emotion of this movie and definitely both laughed and cried out loud. The performances are incredible, in particular the kids. The VFX are also incredibly well realized - there is so much texture and unique detailing in the creatures, which is cool, but it also really serves the plot and the role they play in the story. I am not a parent, so I can't speak to how kid-appropriate it is for younger ages, but I think this is a perfect movie for truly anyone old enough to understand death and loss. I will definitely be recommending this to many people.

This movie involves fantasy, monsters and family and friends protecting each other during a time of danger. It is an allegory and deals with the loss of a wife and parent and approaches how each family member deals with their grief individually and collectively. It is very entertaining with both funny, scary (even for adults), and poignancy. Great film that reminded me of a re-envisioned Jumanji (the original film) that comes from a sketchbook instead of a game. Not for very small, sensitive children. Wonderful family film with a deep lesson that brought me to tears having recently experienced my own loss of a loved one.

This movie was okay, but it is definitely scary and would have traumatized my children when they were younger. I think the story, themes, violent art, frightening scenes and characters, and jump-scares were too mature to be combined with the cutesy elements and premises (e.g., a young girl's artwork coming to life; kids saving the day; a magic pond; art supplies; kids joking around on a school bus). Get ready to deal with some nightmares and anxiety if you take your kids to see this.

I saw this at a secret movie screening. I admit it's not something would not have gone to see by choice but I'm so glad I did see it!

I've been disappointed by movies the past 2-3 years (looking at you JP) but this one was dark, moving, creative and real in every way.

I was surprised by the rating as it's quite suspenseful and has some dark creatures that would have scared 12 year old me.

I think this movie works as an 80s/90s goosebumps kind of thrill. It starts out slow and suspenseful. What particularly impressed me was the fact that you began to see where the movie was going within 20 minutes but it doesn't feel predictable. In fact you're waiting for this thing to happen because it's both horrifying and sort of exhilarating to think about. I hadn't seen a single trailer for it and I think that's what really helped. The 'monsters' were well done and I love that the kids were so genuine. Great acting and the overall theme was deeply touching.

I think it should be rated pg13 at least. But it's worth a watch and I hope it makes a splash.

This was not at all the type of stuff they normally put out. It was very scary for small children. It has a about 10 minutes of feel good stuff after over an hour of horrific descriptions of violence and actual violence. It comes across as a test to see how much you can get away with under a PG rating.

This was one of the most wildly creative, wildly entertaining and completely unexpected Regal "mystery movies" I have ever experienced. Simultaneously terrifying, heartwarming, and hilarious...it was a blast! The action centers around 3 school kids, so casting was essential and, boy, did they succeed! The pacing was also spot-on; no needless exposition, just an ongoing "reveal" of all that one needed to know and nothing that one didn't really didn't need to know! The rest was "movie magic"! See it with a date, see it with the kids, see with Grandma, but see it!

I saw Sketch before its release, at a preview where the only facts that the audience knew about the film was the rating (PG), the length, and that 'the film is not a horror movie." I was pleasurably surprised at the result: a loving and stirring lesson about family communications, grief, joy, and life.

For whatever reason, the first quarter of the movie is not as engaging as it might have been, though we learn a lot about the characters and their family situation. This information turns out to be crucial for understanding the rest of the film, and frankly, that first quarter could have been stronger. But that's for the writer/director to ponder. If you go to this movie and expect that we need to learn through exposition a lot of backstory, that's ok, because the payoff later on is whimsical, beautiful to view, a bit scary for very younger children but very fulfilling for older children and maybe tweens.

It shows the depth of imagination, the proper channeling of emotions, the way that both kids and adults learn about themselves in the world, and how to navigate potentially fearful situations.

PS - stay for the closing scenes during the credits, so you can discover how to participate in some of the CGI magic of the film.

When I first saw this movie, I started looking a little into how movies get distributed after release because I was so upset by the thought that the world may not get the ability to watch it. I am SO glad Angel Studios decided to pick it up.

I am sure there are things in the film that could be better, but that could be said about literally every movie ever made. Some people will ALWAYS find things they would have done differently. I may have noticed some while watching, but I don't remember a single one. All I remember is how this movie made me feel at the end. It's the kind of movie that brings you back to reality and makes you think about how you treat those you love.

The movie starts real, goes fantasy, and the ending mixes both and brings you back to reality in a well planned, sobering moment. I choke up a bit every time I say just that when telling others about the movie because that scene, the images, the feelings the characters are feeling, are stuck in my head and heart.

The script has a lot of funny moments, some say too many. I don't entirely disagree, but I still laughed throughout the movie.

I can't wait for others to see this movie.

This is easily one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I was almost going to walk out out of it. Luckily, I only had to pay seven dollars to see it. It was overall just a stupid movie. Please don't take your kids to see it. I definitely have some scary parts. I do not recommend this for anyone. The movie doesn't have a clear ending. One girl has tentacles. How is she gonna get rid of that?

I sat on this movie for a week, kind of thinking about it but not really. Because honestly, there's not much to say about it. In a summer packed with movies, from drivers to dinosaurs and superheroes to slashers to Smurfs, there's not much that Sketch has to offer.

One positive I can give is some character details and especially a scene at the end tying into the movie's core theme. It was fairly sad, and the acting was pretty good in it. Otherwise the acting all around was okay. The movie has a lot of focus on three kids, and while I'm not gonna harp on them because of their age, I have seen better kid performances. (In this year alone we've had Wolfman, The Monkey, and especially The Life of Chuck.) And the creature designs are fine. Their creativity comes more from the premises given about their designs, but the decision to translate the drawings one-to-one at least helped the VFX not look as cheap as they could have. Except for a cat, which literally just looks like a cat with weird filter to make it look animated.

While the story has interesting ideas about the processing of grief, it's not that interesting of an exploration. Part of that may have to do with the fact that so much of the movie has characters at odds with each other. Whether it's family dynamics or the annoying classmate, everyone feels distant from each other. This would be good at the start, and for a second-act closing beat, but they only really feel close at the end of the film. For the rest of it they're either fighting or focused on something else. And when the big breaking moment comes from the kids, it doesn't wirk as well because they've been acting the same throughout the whole movie. And the pacing doesn't help either, as it's not too interesting during the monster chase scenes and very slow during the others. Some of the jokes were alright, but most fell flat (at least with me; a few people laughed in my theater).

Strangely enough, my biggest complaint isn't the story or the pacing. It's the music. It's so bland and generic, with absolutely nothing unique to offer. I expected the credits to say the music was from some royalty free program. This summer we've had uses of old classics in Superman and Jurassic World, work from Hans Zimmer in F1, and an immediate new classic in the Fantastic Four: First Steps theme by Michael Giacchino. To go from those to this is a major downgrade.

If you're looking for a movie theater experience with your family, I suggest going to see The Bad Guys 2. I haven't seen it yet, but the animation style will certainly wow the kids, even if the story is underwhelming. Or go and see Superman or F4 if they're still in theaters, assuming you'd let your kids watch PG-13. But I don't recommend watching Sketch.

I would absolutely not take a young child to this movie. My 13 year old son and I saw it as part of a Mystery Movie and couldn't believe it was only rated PG. The trailer and description are very misleading. It's not a warm and fuzzy family friendly movie. It's a scary, dark, and violent movie. A line repeated over and over again was describing a picture the main character drew of herself stabbing a classmate hard in the stomach (that was close to the exact quote). And then that character came to life (like other sketches) as a horrifying "person", not a "cute" monster like from Monster's Inc. This is only one example of why I wouldn't recommend it, but there are plenty of others. However, if you're looking for a horror movie for your kids, this is your movie! 😆

This evening my husband and I went to an early release "mystery movie" and this one was so slow and boring we left less than an hour in. I will give any movie a chance, but I can honestly say I haven't wanted to walk out like a just did in quite awhile. No way is an 8/10 rating accurate for this. We were thankful we only spent $6 each. We have kids and like a variety of genres but this one unfortunately does not capture you. It left us yawning and disappointed.

My 9 year old daughter went to see this movie with a friend. They left 30 mins in and my daughter was complely traumatized. How can they be marketing this as a feel good magical family movie? Look at the other reviews calling it a kids horror movie and look how many thumbs downs those reviews get. This is how cults operate. How dare anyone speak negatively about Angel Studios!

Sadly I really Tony Hale and was almost surprised he was in an Angel movie. I have never seen one myself but because one of their flagship movies was "I can only Imagine" (I rolled in those ultra Christian circles) I know it's a Christian production company trying to be Hollywood...and it just comes off wrong. I feel so bad for every kid and family that goes to see this movie expecting one thing and getting nightmares instead. Or worse...pretending like it isn't that in the name of the cult.