This was an unexpected surprise, and a real breath of fresh air for family films. This clever and entertaining medieval adventure film set in modern times, is quite a rarity, in that this is a semi-high budget film aimed at children that’s also not based on a preexisting property. And of course, for its trouble, it was practically ignored and become a massive box office bomb. That is a terrible shame, because if people had been willing to give it a chance, I think they would’ve really had a blast. This is a family film that is equally entertaining for both kids and adults, as well as being a genuinely empowering story for children without talking down to them. The film is well acted (Angus Imrie in particular does genuinely fantastic work as a Young Merlin), is well plotted, has good characters, and is exciting. It’s pretty much exactly how you would want a good old fashioned adventure film to play out. Is it perfect? No. The film’s pacing could’ve been tightened in some places, it does sometimes rely a bit too much on clichés, and I feel like the ending could’ve been expanded on. But still, this is a kid’s film with energy, passion, and creativity. It’s just a fun experience, and it’s a film I would’ve adored as a kid. I wish more movies like this would be made. But its box office receipts unfortunately mean that’s not very likely anytime soon.

Rating: 4/5