Clock is decent but would not give it more time

Jack Black stars as an eccentric warlock in this weird family-friendly fantasy film.

Set in 1955, the film focuses on a 10-year-old orphan named Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro), who moves into a creaky old house with his uncle, Jonathan Barnavelt (Jack Black). Lewis soon discovers that the house is enchanted, his uncle is a warlock and his neighbour, Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett), is a witch.

After convincing his uncle to teach him magic, things seem to look up for Lewis. Unfortunately, events take a turn for the sinister when it is revealed that the warlocks who previously owned the house planted a magical clock in the walls that will bring about the end of the world.

I would say this film was a mixed bag: some of it was good and other bits were not so good.

The protagonist, Lewis, was a strong example of this. You do feel sorry for him in certain situations and understand some of his actions. However, some of the things Lewis does just make you groan as he repeats the same stupid tropes.

For example, using dangerous magic to impress another boy despite it being completely obvious that they are a total jerk. Lewis also figures out problems that stump the adult characters far too easily. I understand character development is key, but there had to have been better ways of doing it here.

Jack Black and Cate Blanchett were the strongest actors on screen, with Cate Blanchett’s character having a surprisingly dark backstory. In fact, there were a couple of unexpected dark elements that weren’t related to its child-friendly horror.

In the end, The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a decent flick to entertain kids, however, it isn’t one I would want to sit through more than once.