The House with a Clock in Its Walls

I like how everything looks in the house, but I don't care at all about anyone in it. The House with a Cock in its Walls lol.

This is what Harry Potter looks like without it's mystifying popularity. It's magic is one part zany imagination, one part stupidity, one hundred percent aimed at little kids with teens and adults befuddlingly following suit.

Oddly paced kids fantasy from Roth--an unlikely choice of director based on his resume--tries valiantly to recapture the magic of 80's kids films but feels too generic and calculated. Some funny banter between Blanchett and Black keeps things lively, but the human characters are not interesting, and Roth doesn't have enough visual talent to make proper use of its creaky setting. The scenes with demonic pumpkins and the titular clock generate some heat, but they arrive too late to save it.

Quite alright to kill some time with

The undeniable chemistry between Jack Black and Cate Blanchett lends a likability factor to an otherwise juvenile script, which features shitting topiary griffins, shaky child acting, and some painfully dated CGI.

Vanilla spooky house, evil warlock story. I enjoyed the production design. slow going till the end, almost like a TV pilot and indeed it once was adapted for television. The IMDB Trivia for Goosebumps says Jack Black based his performance on Orson Welles but that obviously is meant for THIS movie where he plays a madcap master of magic and honestly Jack Black channeling Orson Welles is the greatest thing I didn't know I needed and now I want so much more.

Dreary fantasy suffers from oddly disjointed and clumsy stylistic choices which means the film never really settles into a groove or even manages to 'take off' - Black and Blanchett both appear to be playing to two different audiences, and Roth (admittedly an unlikely choice as director for this material) seems lost at sea trying to keep all of his eccentric characters in play. MacLachlan's brief appearance under heavy makeup at least brings a late jolt of energy to proceedings.

Cate Blanchett was charming and marvelous, Jack Black was the same as he always is, Owen Vaccaro was absolutely terrible and should never act again. The story itself was interesting and had potential but the movie just drug on and on and on for what felt like forever.

A sometimes amusing story of dark magic and creepy happenings. Cate Blanchett was marvelous as usual. Jack Black is still playing his single note song. The kooky fantasy was silly and they did their best to create engaging characters and situations. It was mostly enjoyable but not particularly great.

Half fantasy. Half horror. Halfway it became annoying. More reviews here : http://movie-freak.be

All the cheesiness of Hocus Pocus but with a lot less heart. Blanchett is good, Black slips into his regular antics occasionally, and Vaccaro is fine though has a high-pitched scream that could rival Wilhelm's. The plot isn't bad, but I found myself often distracted. Some dodgy CGI, and I just didn't like it as much as I wanted to.

It was an okay movie, in my opinion. A lot of the casting and sets were very evocative of Harry Potter, about a decade late to the game. It didn't do a good job of building tension and I don't think it did much to appeal to an adult audience, but I enjoyed myself.

Tik-tok bitch.

I always have a soft spot for these kind of adventure films. The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) might not be top tier, but it fulfills the need for a little fantasy and magic. Jack Black wasn't nearly as annoying as he can be and the kid was a good choice for the lead. The boss fight with Kyle MacLachlan was a little under developed, but otherwise this was a good time.

good movie

The films only really 'good' quality was the star cast. However it just wasn't engaging and the characters weren't likable enough, save Jack Black's character, who was at least somewhat likable. But it really just dragged on, at 105 minutes it felt like 150 while in the cinema watching it.

It's derivative–and particularly reminiscent of Dr Strange in many ways–but it's endearing and entertaining enough, with a revelatory performance by Owen Vaccaro.

Really, really went downhill and cheap after the villains show up. I appreciated Blanchett's mannerisms.

It's imaginative, it's got some neat effects, but it's definitely got some plot holes and headscratching moments, just things set up for plot contrivance, and that lessens any magic here. Not to mention it's got a little too much unnecessary bathroom humor that doesn't add anything.

No matter how hard Jack Black and Cate Blanchett try, this movie is unsalvageable.

Made really fun when paired with the remaster of Michael Jackson's Thriller in 3D

[Stream it] | This is the Goosebumps movie you've been looking for.

Jack black is the only good thing about this probobly.

Too contrived, nonsensical, and unfunny to recommend.

an incredible, warm hearted adventure film that i’m shocked could be made in the 2010s. it feels like some forgotten family adventure movie from 1998, not 2018

Bad in so many ways

I expected way more from this film. I expected some great performances, some laughs, some unpredictable events. I got nothing of all that.

I think for a Halloween movie for kids, it could be entertaining. A lot of work in the decors and it makes it special. The characters seem to be the actors playing what they're used to, but it is acceptable. What I found interesting was the relationships in it, how they were not the most cliché: with no love interest, portrayal of bad or complicated friendships, and strong bonds still in the end. The end was a bit abrupt however.

61.4.

Harry Potter fans should enjoy this one. It is a fun fantasy overall but something is missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on. Still worth your time, especially for families.

I loved the book(s) as a kid, so maybe this higher-than-deserved score is based partially on nostalgia. The creepy story comes alive with a lot of unevenness -- a fight-for-your-life scene might end with a poop joke. There's a bizarre mix of whimsical (the chair and the griffin get in the credits, even) and demoniacal. It just felt like something was missing throughout.

This movie was really cute and a great children's horror film. The only thing I found "wrong" with it was that it felt a pinch too long.

Sometimes generic as any other kid's fantasy horror, but Roth manages to infiltrate his weird, grotesque bits all over it -- from the baby Jack Black peeing to the puking pumpkins. Nice mix of Spielberguian orphan spooky story with Roth's dark, straightforward and wicked sense of the unknown.

Much more witchy than expected, and thin, but a decent, quick movie as an excuse for popcorn and chilling

It's fun. Jack and Cate play well together and Owen is good too.

It's a decent horror comedy. Its characters have personality and it finds that sweet spot between funny and intense. On the other hand, there's no emotional connection. It's cloying and cliched, and the dialogue is almost laughable at times. For those looking for a mindless fantasy, it might be entertaining, but beyond that, it's not much.

The second half really went downhill.

Nice, generic. Too dark for kids? And too lame for everybody else.

A cute Goosebumps like movie. Personally wish they would have done more in the magic realm and less in the horror realm. Taking off some points for poor character development of the school kids, the puking pumpkins, and the overused kitty litter box joke.

This is the first time I have ever seen Cate Blanchett misscasted.

It was entertaining though a bit flat. More of a TV/streaming movie than one to pay a full-prince movie ticket for. The movie has heart, it's not one to make you reconsider the meaning of life and everything, but it is still enjoyable and funny. See it as such, and you'll have fun. Expect something other than a Goosebumps movie and you'll be disappointed.

It's fine, the kid's acting is not the best, but Jack Black and Cate Blanchett seal the deal. So it's ok. Just have fun, don't expect much, laugh and be happy.