I watched this because Ioan Gruffudd is one of the actors. This character can't compare with his role as Horatio Hornblower, but he probably had a lot less to work with, script-wise, with this movie. I would have liked to have known why his character didn't seem to believe in the whole pearl story. Why did he hide the book if he didn't believe? If he did believe, why hadn't he been working to help break the curse, or why didn't he help Maria to do so?
Maria's nanny was supposed to be funny, but she was a little too bumbling for my taste. The men in black would definitely be scary for children, so I personally wouldn't let children watch this movie. The lion reminded me of Aslan, which is a good association.
Spoiler alert: I'm not exactly sure why Maria was willing to sacrifice her life at the end. It was noble, but I'm not sure they convinced me that she was invested enough in the whole thing to be willing to sacrifice her life.
I gave this movie a seven, despite some misgivings, because of Ioan, because it was a pretty clean movie, and because it had a happy ending. Themes of sacrifice and the need for humility fit well with what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ, so that was also a plus.
Maria's nanny was supposed to be funny, but she was a little too bumbling for my taste. The men in black would definitely be scary for children, so I personally wouldn't let children watch this movie. The lion reminded me of Aslan, which is a good association.
Spoiler alert: I'm not exactly sure why Maria was willing to sacrifice her life at the end. It was noble, but I'm not sure they convinced me that she was invested enough in the whole thing to be willing to sacrifice her life.
I gave this movie a seven, despite some misgivings, because of Ioan, because it was a pretty clean movie, and because it had a happy ending. Themes of sacrifice and the need for humility fit well with what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ, so that was also a plus.