THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS Review

Eli Roth’s The House with a Clock in Its Walls, despite being a straight-up kids movie with a release date in the dead of September, was one of my most anticipated films of the fall if not of the entire year. Despite the obvious warning signs though, I think it’s actually pretty easy to see why this was the case. First, there is Jack Black who has done well to understand the current phase of his career; with last year's Jumanji sequel as well as Goosebumps he is slowly establishing himself as the guy that will be fondly remembered by the tweens and younger teens of the current generation as that funny guy who was in all of their favorite movies. Better even, when those same kids get older they can go back and discover more of Black's rather impressive collection of work. Another encouraging factor going in was the fact this was a kids movie with Cate freakin' Blanchett in it. Now, Blanchett has been doing more work in more commercially viable popcorn flicks as of late with the last Thor film and Ocean's 8, but it seemed it would take a really great script or great character to really entice an actor of her caliber. Blanchett certainly seems to be having a great time exploring the genre, but unfortunately she doesn’t have nearly as much to do as one would expect sans the excellent bickering back and forth between her and Black. This cast, this genre, this time of year...what more could there be that might help propel this project to the heights it seemed so obviously destined to reach? I say this somewhat ironically as it seems most critics and audiences didn't expect much from another kid-centric Black film-especially one based on a children's book from the seventies and especially not one directed by the guy who made 2018's Death Wish, but alas...here we are. As someone who has always adored Black's range and versatility there was this sense of optimism and support, but the point of concern was always Roth. Roth is a director raised on the Amblin films that are very clearly an inspiration for his The House with a Clock in Its Walls, but unfortunately Roth's homage to spooky if not exactly scary kids fare doesn't pass that test of being a magical film about magical people. The finished product can certainly be endearing for long stretches, but the big picture never gels and is more a hodge-podge of several different "chosen one" archetypes than it is a single, focused, satisfying narrative. And though The House with a Clock in Its Walls proved to be more disappointing than hoped for it’s not impossible to see how the film might become more appealing over time-especially to the generation that will grow up on it.

New Trailer for THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS

The House with a Clock in Its Walls, despite being a straight-up kids movie with a release date in the dead of September, is one of my most anticipated of the fall if not of the entire year. Why you might ask? Well, first there is Jack Black who has done well to understand the current phase of his career and with last year's Jumanji sequel as well as Goosebumps he is kind of establishing himself as the guy that will be fondly remembered by the tweens and younger teens of the current generation for being the funny dude in all of their favorite movies-that is, if this turns out to be as good as it promises to be. Better even, when those same kids get older, they can go back and discover even more of Black's rather impressive collection of work. Second, this is a kids movie with Cate freakin' Blanchett in it. Now, I know Blanchett has been doing a more commercially viable popcorn work lately with the last Thor film and Ocean's 8, but it seems it would take a really great script or idea or whatever it is at the heart of this story that is based on John Bellairs' 1973 novel of the same name to entice her into doing something explicitly for the children. That said, the actress looks as if she is having a great time with this role as she gets to play a witch who lives next door to Black's Warlock as he introduces his young nephew (Daddy's Home alum Owen Vaccaro) to a world of magic and sorcery. Third, and this is more a point of curiosity than intrigue, is the fact Eli Roth is directing. Yes, that would be the Eli Roth who made Cabin Fever and Hostel and who starred in Inglorious Basterds, but who hasn't had a hit movie since maybe The Green Inferno (maybe? It barely made it's $5 million budget back, but it created a fair amount of conversation at the time). All of that taken into account, it will be interesting to see how the guy who's already re-made Death Wish earlier this year fares with full-on kids material. My hope is that with his sensibilities, if they were well-balanced, he was able to keep the film appropriately scary while injecting an underlying quality of sincere terror. The point being, I'm always down for a movie aimed at kids that looks as if it could become a Halloween staple and this certainly seems to have all the ingredients to create such a favorite. The House with a Clock in Its Walls also stars Kyle MacLachlan, Colleen Camp, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Vanessa Anne Williams, Sunny Suljic, and opens on September 21st, 2018.