How sad is this?

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

1st watched 10/29/2006 - 4 out of 10(Dir-John Stephenson): Mildly entertaining story of a group of five kids who are forced to live with their eccentric uncle while their father and mother fight & work in World War I as England entered the war. They are told not to go in the greenhouse of the uncle's mansion, which of course they do over and over, and they discover a sand fairy who them daily wishes that only last until the sun goes down. This is the "IT" referred to in the title, created by the Jim Henson group and voiced by Eddie Izzard. The problem is their wishes usually bring about other problems that they are supposed to learn from. This part of the movie is not done very well because it's obvious the children, primarily the Freddie Highmore character, do not learn from them but instead keep going back to "it" to solve their next big problem. "IT" is not nearly as funny as it could have been with the comedian Eddie Izzard really not given much opportunity to improvise and Kenneth Branagh is wasted as the eccentric uncle, although he is the best character. The children are fine as far as their acting abilities but the story probably would have been much better going into the fantasy realm but they did have a human story to tell as well, which probably caused the confusion with the filmmakers. So, all in all, this was an OK film but could have been much better.

With the "children's movie" industry becoming increasingly reliant on computer-animated films to light up children's' faces and make us laugh, it's an event worth celebrating when a live-action children's film as genuine and warm as "Five Children and It" comes into the picture.Set in a refreshingly simplistic perspective of the World War I era, the story tells of a charming bunch of children who are separated from their parents to live in their strange, arithmetically-obsessed uncle's huge castle in the countryside. While their parents are off serving duties in the war cause, Robert (Freddie Highmore) and his siblings struggle to cope with the strict rules of Uncle Albert's (Kenneth Branagh) mansion, as well as the separation from their dear parents. In an amazing little adventure, Robert and the others discover "It," a mysterious little creature at the end of a hidden passageway who grants one single wish to the children each day. But Its magic may end up causing more misfortune than fortune.Witty and sassy little Robert misses and worries for his father so much that he struggles to except that Dad may not return from fighting at war. In a superbly genuine portrayal, Highmore charms the viewer with perhaps his most deeply expressive and emotional performance of his career, next to his spectacular exploration of Peter Llewelyn Davies in "Finding Neverland." Highmore is one of the finest child actors there is today, and is continuing to reach for the stars, most currently in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." In "Five Children," Freddie fits his Robert like a glove, and achieves what few actors can-- he causes the viewer to become attached to the character. Arousing our sympathy and tearing our hearts, Mr. Highmore has done it again. Astounding! It would be ridiculous not to also acknowledge the wonderful performances by the other children, whose ability to compliment each other with on-screen chemistry is truly a joy to watch. And of course, It, the sand-fairy, is an amusing little character brought wonderfully to life by Jim Henson puppetry and Eddie Izzard. Granted, the animation effects for the film are quite poor, but I am pleased to say that this does not matter. Director John Stephenson has created a lovely children's film without advanced use of computer-- now that's magic! "Five Children and It" leaves us with a heart-warming message and a feeling of purity so rare in films these days, that it's a shame this movie wasn't widely distributed. And although it can't be said that this movie reached %100 of its potential, I personally don't understand any negative comments that critics may make regarding it, for this movie is truly exceptional children's entertainment. Why not simply appreciate it for what it is? Still, it feels good to be one of the few people who appreciate this little gem of a film, which gently reminds us that even though as we grow old the magic of childhood may die, the mark it leaves on us is eternal.Grade: B+ / Stars: 3 out of 4

A few weeks ago I picked up a very charming children's book called 5 Children and It. Written by E. Nesbit and originally published in 1902 or thereabouts, it's a remarkably modern-sounding tale about a family, with maid and cook, who go to the country for the summer. The father has to work in the city, and the mother is called away on some business, and the children are left to their own devices under the care of the maid and cook, who are happy as long as the children stay outside all day and don't mess up the house, and show up for meals and bed on time. So far an extremely believable story that anyone who has rented a summer place can relate to. The children discover a magical creature called a psammead ("sammyadd") which grants them one wish a day. Minor misadventures ensue, with each succeeding day another chapter in the book. The children learn to be careful in their wishes and to think ahead. A good life lesson. Then they made a movie. Movies can't be about ordinary people because then we would all start thinking we're equal. This family has sent Father off to World War I as a flying ace, Mother as a dedicated volunteer nurse, and the children go to a large country home on the cliffs of Dover to stay with their batty uncle, evil cousin and a mysterious woman who is neither the uncle's wife nor just a housekeeper. It doesn't matter because she just provides plot devices necessary to carry along the movie version which is wholly different from the book except for the character's names and two of the wishes. Imagine if the movie version of Harry Potter had included Dr Xavier and the X-Men characters and been set in wartime because some pinhead producer felt that J K Rowling's story didn't have enough flash and mawkishness. If you've seen the movie, read the book. If you've read the book, skip the movie. There was a BBC version made in the early 1990s. I'm going to find a copy of that and have a look. This book was that good.

I had never heard of the unique "Five Children and It" before it was recommended to me. It had the look and style of Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket films and looked interesting enough. Considering top billing went to twelve year old Freddy Highmore of Finding Neverland, it wasn't exactly a star studded affair. Nonetheless the story is a beautiful little fair tale more for kids but very entertaining...more so in fact than Lemony Snicket which I thought was just averagely done.Five Children and It is the story of five brothers and sisters who are sent to live with their eccentric mathematician Uncle when their father is stationed in France during WWII. The children are treated to an enormous castle and given the guided tour by the mysteriously protective housekeeper Martha. Despite his caring ways, the almost crazy Uncle Albert insists the children keep a tight ship, cleaning and carrying out a huge list of chores. The only rule they are given above all others is to stay out of the greenhouse. Young Robert, a strong willed, rebellious boy quickly finds his way to the greenhouse and goes inside and then convinces his brother and sisters to join him. They find a door which leads to them an unchartered beautiful beach where it doesn't rain and everything is calm and peaceful. Robert then accidentally discovers a shell and inside the shell is a very mysterious creature. He is a sand fair...It...as the children call him and he has the ability to grant one wish to one person per day. Through his wishes however he tends to teach a lesson by how and what they wish for. The children immediately wish their chores to be done which ends in disaster, and with each day that passes they learn to be more careful about their wishes. More than anything else what is important to them is their father returning safely from war and when he goes missing, they must choose their wish wisely to bring him home safely. And when the safety of the sand fairy becomes an issue the children pull together to save him from disaster.I thought that Sand Fairy who is by far the most amusing character in the film was underused quite a bit. Eddie Izzard performs as his voice and he's very funny and although the sand fairy is a little irritable he cares for the children and becomes endearing. The only child of the five of them who gets any significant screen time is Freddie Highmore who is becoming quite the actor with his breakthrough roles. Kenneth Braghn plays a great character in Uncle Albert. He obviously has no parenting skills but does the best he knows. His role was still better than Carey's in Lemony Snicket. Children will love this film, it's a great adventure without ever leaving the castle and at the same time has some great morals and lessons with the necessary laughs that children will love. The Sand Fairy is wonderful and kids will love him. With director John Stephenson at the helm who has worked with Jim Henson's creature shop for a long time, he knows what makes a great monster. Definitely check this out with your kids...maybe even on your own, it's a great little family film not to disappoint. Shout out to Deb who recommended this one...and I didn't even have to pay to watch it YEAH!! 8/10