The Worst Film Ever

Sorry, this movie sucks

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

I found this almost unbearably trite and cliché, unfortunately. I do wish that I could see it from the mindset of a child - and therefore not see the simple dichotomy of the imagination being a haven for wondrous and idyllic visions and the real adult world being basically hell. The story begins from a rather prissy, closed-off corner of the World War - a single father and his daughter being so unimaginably wealthy that he can ship her off to a boarding school to be treated like royalty. This doesn't really have any natural effect other than to exaggerate the change of comfort when Sara's checks stop coming in (though I suppose the other way around, kindness even in poverty would be just as sentimental). I will not criticise the fantasy scenes to great lengths. They are of course lacking because of technological limitations, and I am hard pressed to find where exactly the rest of the millions in the budget went towards. Childlike imagination has always been captured on film in absurd, illogical and flashy ways. The clean, dominant colour schemes are a trademark - see here the bright blue skin of Prince Rama. But there isn't much else that drives these daydreams. They aren't enough of a consistent presence to be afforded its own atmosphere or emotion, and are illogical on the wrong level - like scattered bits of a storybook filmed and tossed in. When this works and is driven by the narrative itself, they can certainly be interesting. See The Fall or Heavenly Creatures and how the fantasies actually take on a life of their own, morphed by the very malleable minds of children and their imaginations. Like a children's book, the narrative is simply and stereotypically drawn, with clear dividing lines. Sara is the angel that never puts a wrong foot forward. Her mortal enemy and opposition is the very essence of evil; a soul-sucking, money-grabbing witch who seems to command the very heavens herself. No seriously - every evil act and dramatic proclamation is accompanied liberally by thunder, as if her tyrannical dialogue and expression weren't enough. Every last drop of baddie is milked from her, and there is seldom a line that isn't a contribution to this cause, leaving the rest of her character a rather empty shell (except for that hilariously hammy zoom into her single tear). The girls' little victories against her are uninspiring. Take the scene where she leaves and they hatch a plan to rescue Sara's locket. She is out the door not seconds before they jump into action, and then seconds later we are cutting from her shivering in the cold and a closeup to her forgotten gloves. But this is a children's story, of course, so even as the confrontation is telegraphed to us, we know that the girls will somehow escape unnoticed. Minchin is finally defeated in the most ludicrous way. At least a conventional Hollywood film would make the protagonists do some of the heavy lifting. Here, amnesia is the vague barrier in the narrative, and when the story finally calls for resolution, it simply vanishes so we can be shown that happy ending. How lazy and obscure.

This movie is a must see for everyone, whether you are a little girl or an adult. even if you don't believe in fairy tale you should watch this movie. It is as sweet as it can be , well staged and the cinematography is so beautiful that for once you will surely forgot about all the cruelty and chaos of the world and see the beauty in each aspect of life and praise it.this film is about love, kindness , magic and full of heart.This movie is spellbinding and a fascinating movie to watch. It will make you want to cry at many moments.Guys see this movie it is a must watch for everybody.

This is just a lovely, lovely, movie, visually sumptuous and with a positive message. Sarah is a lovely character who keeps a good attitude regardless and is both charming and kind. The movie is full of beautiful moments.My primary complaints about the film are probably due to its short running time. While I generally support keeping things short, there are times when things are simply unexplained. For example, the movie really needed to show us what the lawyer said to Miss Minchin, because without that explanation, it came across as a highly improbably turn in the narrative put there entirely to propel the story, as opposed to something that is likely to have happened (the book, from what I've read on wikipedia, makes more sense in this regard). Likewise Minchin's final moments are satisfying but highly unrealistic.But I'm okay with that, because the movie has a magical, mythic quality that makes it thoroughly enjoyable.

Alfonso Cuaron's adaptation of A Little Princess is a film filled with magically realism, whimsy and sickly sweetness. It is a popular film for young girls and women for these reasons.In 1914 Britain has entered into the First World War. Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews) is a British girl (even though she has an American accent), living in India. She is a kind-hearted girl with a big imagine, intelligence and a keen storyteller. When her father (Liam Cunningham) is called up to serve in the war, Sara is sent to the same boarding school her descended mother went to, the Miss Minchin's Seminary for Girls in New York. Sara quickly becomes a popular girl at the school because of her wit, storytelling and willingness to stand up wrongdoing. But when her father is declared killed in action Sara's wealth is taken away and the crude hearted headmistress (Eleanor Bron) makes Sara into a servant girl. Despite Sara's grief she sets out to keep her dignity and her charitable spirit.A Little Princess was weighted around a strong performance from a talented young actress, Matthews. She gave a heart felt performance and mixed with Cuaron's emotionally manipulating direction you felt her pain and sorrow as she suffers from grief and the enforced poverty but keeps her determination and spirit. There is a theme of the rewards of charity and kindness, that if keep those attitudes and do not the world grind you then your good deals will be acknowledged. It is story about a girl needs to keep her determination, hope, kindness and imaginable that strength of friendship.I personally love Cuaron as a director, especially for his work on Harry Potter and Children of Men. With A Little Princess he was in full manipulation mode and it very much like a Spielberg film in the emotional scenes to more comically toned involving the girls causing mischief, playing jokes to a scene where the bully of school is 'cursed' and sees the outcome of it. Unfortunately because of the The art direction and cinematography are striking and fitting for the themes of the film, that India is a bright, colourful wondrous place, to the more harsh, cold reality of the street of New York in the winter. Peter Doyle's score added to getting the audience sunk into this world, using Indian music, a traditional score, a choir and a song sung by a young girl.A Little Princess is an orphan story similar in the vain of Oliver Twist, Annie and The Matchstick Girl, a young girl forced into the big bad city. Like Annie and The Matchstick Girl Sara is forced into servitude and the emotional scenes on the streets was very much like The Matchstick Girl. Because of the boarding school setting and Sara's background it is clear why Cuaron was a sensible choice to take on Harry Potter.A big criticism is the setting. The film changes the location from London to New York to cater to American auditions (seeing that the film flopped in America that change was pointless) and the time from the Victorian era to 1914. By changing it to 1914 it made the scenario less believable, that Sara becomes slave labour when she should would be education and child labour is still being used when in most Western countries had at this point introduced some sort of compulsory education.A Little Princess truly is a family film, children of all ages will find something to enjoy in this whimsical film.7.5/10