The Secret of Moonacre

Family movies are grateful and they stay with you. Parents go to them with their children, spend money because they want to entertain their offspring, and it doesn't matter that the final result is a film that doesn't stand out among the competition and is only suitable for optical disks. The film "Curse of the Moon Valley" is a classic fantasy fairy tale of modern making that draws inspiration from "Narnia", but it doesn't bring anything new. It's quite sad if we start to understand European cinematography as one that only copies the American one. "Curse of the Moon Valley" was made as a co-production film of Hungary, Great Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The co-production is quite crazy, and it's also sad that the money doesn't show. It's a relatively cheap film, even at first glance. The digital effects are not impressive, just like the story that takes more from "Narnia" than it might seem at first glance. We have a lion here, who is of course black and not called Aslan, we have a girl who doesn't have parents but also doesn't have any siblings, then an uncle who doesn't want to accept her (well, that's rather the film "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events"), and finally something from the movie "Pan's Labyrinth". Only the great atmosphere is missing here. In the end, it's just another film that fades away and will never become anything more than just a contribution to the filmography of a few creators and not very significant actors. Ioan Gruffudd will probably never belong to the actors I will admire. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/12/sherrybaby-lets-dance-unesena.html (03/03/2013)

While Gábor Csupó was making a name for himself on his debut Bridge to Terabithia (2007), Dakota Blue Richards was also making a name for herself at the same time in The Golden Compass (2007). The two were thus brought together in the latest adaptation of Elizabeth Goudge's classic children's literature, "The Little White Horse," and built on the series from the early 1990s, which was also co-produced by the Czech Republic at the time. The Secret of Moonacre is a highly imaginative fantasy set partly in Victorian England, partly in a fantasy setting. The costumes and special effects are great. The cast is ideally typified by the characteristics of the characters. Dakota Blue Richards has something superior within her, Juliet Stevenson something maternal, Tim Curry is a classic of comedy madness and Natascha McElhone and Ioan Gruffudd make an ideal fairy tale couple with a subtle tinge of the age-old Romeo and Juliet problem. Interestingly, actress Juliet Stevenson has already appeared in another film by a Hungarian director, i.e., Being Julia (2004). (10/25/2010)

After the brilliant Bridge to Terabithia, Csupó has completely flown off the handle. A dramaturgical mess topped with bad special effects and sterile direction that buries what little suspense that survives the wooden actors and shoddy sets. This is the distilled essence of boredom and neutered poetry. (06/18/2009)