The Magic Door (2007)

Holy moly Batman! This film looks like it is someone's home movie - complete with cheap cheesy costumes & make-up, terrible acting, the worst special effects and lame dialogue. I'm almost sure this is someone's homemade movie - it has to be. I know that a lot of the major motion film studios has produced some terrible films but this film makes the worst Hollywood film look super. Seriously.I got this film in a 4-Pack Sorcerer's Apprentice plus 3 bonus films, I got the pack for The Magic Sword starring Basil Rathbone and decided to watch the other 3 films as well. This is by far the worst film in that 4-pack, followed closely by The Sorcerer's Apprentice.You would have to see this film to believe just how incredibly awful it really is.1/10

A magic Troll aims to defeat the Black Witch (Jenny Agutter) and find the magic door that will lead him home with the help of the elf Flip (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and the boy Liam (Liam Matthews).I was drawn to this film because it has Jenny Agutter, who I knew from "Logan's Run" and "American Werewolf in London". But it also has Anthony Head ("Buffy"), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (the Avengers movies) and a few others. This cast should be able to add some weight to the picture.But no. the main kid (Liam) is not very good, and I think he might be the writer-director's son. So that is pretty lame. And beyond the weak kid and weak plot, we also have a video quality that might be lacking. The one on Netflix gets some crackling noises in it. I have used the service for years and never had that issue, so I feel it much be the film itself... ugh.

Every now and then I find a film that I would call charming. It does not have to be ground breaking, high art. I think there are some people, who do not have the ability to just have fun with a charming tale. Perhaps we have all lost our childlike innocence and can no longer enjoy a sweet story. I have read some reviews which do not rate it very high. Nevertheless, I loved it. I suppose it all has to do with expectations. Everything has to be bigger and better than anything else ever seen before. All the special effects have to be astounding. OK, this is not Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, or Harry Potter but I still think it is a very nice movie. Both my husband and I watched it after just watching Hansel and Gretel, Witch Hunters. It was sort of refreshing and we both liked it.

Unsure WHAT the first reviewer was talking about- the biggest name I have seen so far are Anthony Head(Buffy) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson(Kick-Ass)(granted it was in 2007 for the latter actor). The effects are okay(for low budget B-movie) but nothing close to 'great'.This film feels like a movie where the set-up is completely missing.Review as I go: 30 MINS INTO FILM: NONE of the characters are really introduced well. What happened to the kids real mother? Why is this troll in exile? Why does the story pick-up with this particular family and why are they living at said location? (It has an air of 'we moved here'). Why are these kids and their dad(His he?) at such odds? THEY SHOULD HAVE: Explained all the above and set these kids up to be precocious prankster types with some charm. (Think a UK style Dennis the Menace).I agree it does feel like all the actors in this had nothing better to do on a weekend. Its like they said "who wants to forget everything you know about acting and play this like you're back in high school". They just didn't connect at ALL. Plus, every kid in the UK must have been sick or in the Harry Potter franchise at the time OR these kids were related to someone in the movie. Their acting sucked! The girl is better than the boy, but still some poor acting.The make-up is also POORLY done. It looks like the budget was the left overs from Halloween aisle at the local drug store. It's very flat on the characters. No shading. No definition. No character. The wigs looks like a bargain bin find as well.BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: The "Witch" is more like a fairy than a witch. She has a broom but lacks any 'witchy' aspects. :-(.The movie DOES finish better after you get numb to all the aforementioned. However, this is NOT a movie you should watch thinking you're going to receive the same pleasure and 'warm fuzzy' that other such movies provide.The movie NEVER seems to answer any of the questions that I had from the beginning.Plus, the character of the two children are odd and NEVER developed. The girl has some magic? Where did it come from? Why is she not the main lead if she has magic? The boy is the lead but is a lackluster leader/hero type. The movie ALWAYS gives the lead over to the boy! He does have ONE scene toward the end of the movie in this scene that has some slightly creep factor going on, but otherwise he just cannot hold it.