The Secret of Moonacre (2009)

Having seen Dakota Blue Richards in The Golden Compass which I loved immensely, I was excited to see her again in another fantasy movie. And while this is a fantasy movie of a different type, I must say I enjoyed this just as much. This movie has a really simple plot which develops slowly but I do think most things are explained in one way or another. However I would have loved a bit more background story about some of the characters such as Robin and his father Coeur De Noir. I have not read the book so I am sure the director left some things out that weren't developed in the movie. There is obviously a suggestion there could be a relationship between Robin and Maria. The ending seemed a bit rushed and I had loved they gave that some more attention, some more screening time. I must say that this movie was maybe not so good if Dakota didn't give such a strong performance as Maria Merryweather. The others really couldn't have carried this movie but play their role well. There is some humor in it in the characters of Miss Heliotrope (she is a little burpy) and the chef (French accent so cliché) which the children will love. I didn't find that funny but wasn't bothered with it either. The story in itself was serious and good and that was what mattered to me. And there are fantasy elements like unicorn, black lion which are mostly symbolic. It's no Chronicles of Narnia, not as overwhelming as Golden Compass or Stardust but a sweet little movie that has its place in the fantasy genre. I had no regrets seeing it.

This is a film suited to children so perhaps I shouldn't be writing this review, although my two children didn't seem overly impressed. The problem I have with this film is that we are served up with what has become a very much repeated storyline over recent years after LOTR. Inevitably we have a piece of jewelery that holds magic powers, that has been lost and lead to feuding families, and the little star of the film must rectify matters. The sets and costumes are top notch and are what make the film really worth watching. The acting is mediocre to say the least, in particular Tim Curry as one of the feuding family heads, although I will say that Dakota Blue Richards as the child puts in a decent performance. Very few of the characters do anything that makes you really empathize with them, and I don't recall being moved in any one moment of this long film. I give it a 5 out of 10 thanks to the sets and costumes.

This film is not for people who have read the book. I loved The Little White Horse and was excited about it being made into a film but was very disappointed.They changed a lot of the characters. Sir Benjamin's personality was completely different and Robin's origins and relationship with Maria was completely different. They also gave away some things right at the beginning which you are supposed the discover later. There was a lot of changes to the plot as well they need to make it much longer to fit everything in.Having said that, if you haven't read the book, it's probably a perfectly enjoyable children's fantasy film. It is certainly visually stunning.

The set, and the props, the clothing, they were very well done for this movie. I loved watching some of the beautiful scenery such as the forest...and watching the unique clothes flow. However the only thing that I really didn't like about this movie was the acting and a little on the weak story. I think that Natascha McElhone, made a horrible effort on her part when acting the moon princess at the wedding, when she told them of the curse. It seemed completely off, her voice, even her emotion.But think about it, this is a movie for children, not for adults! Reviews and comments from adults saying how horrible the movie was to them shouldn't really mean all that much, considering the target audience. Girls love unicorns, boys love strong lions, all of these aspects were taken care of, and gives the child imagination & adventure. This movie is good for children.All in all, this movie kept my attention the entire way through, even if there was a few flaws. But for a kids movie, they have done very well.