I stumbled across this movie on Tubi and I was already not expecting much going in. Right off the bat I've seen people compare this movie to the Chronicle's of Narnia, it is not a rip off in my opinion. First off I want to say that this movie is low budget, now low budget doesn't mean bad if the writing is good. The plot is messy and gets pretty contrived and lazy towards the end. The story starts off ok, I actually think the premise is pretty good. The shadow people and their world, the evil witch and the crown are all interesting. Even the little boy I found myself thinking he was a good character and his adventures with the shadow people were interesting, however the plot starts to fall apart when you can tell the writers needed a bigger budget and couldn't pull off the scenes they wanted so they just got lazy with the plot, resolving conflict in a very cheap and anticlimactic way. The third act of the movie just isn't very good. The themes were kind of unclear towards the end. Moving onto music, it was alright I guess? The audio is very strange in this movie because the people are literally whispering. I do like the witch's design and makeup very nice. All together While I was decently entertained in the beginning and middle of the movie I was losing interest towards the end and was kind of bored. It is watchable but there is a lot better out there.
7 Reviews
Watchable for low budget
rbrown333328 May 2023
Decent for its obviously VERY low budget. (One of the props is an old doorknob in disguise) The story is decent but derivative, er, um, inspired by other sources. It holds promise but only barely delivers. Maybe they hoped to do a sequal.
Too much of the dialog is whispered, the witch is a little campy at times, especially at the beginning. The tiny bit of comic relief (look for the doorknob) was a nice try but feels a little forced or out of place. The camera cuts were a little overdone
I did like the mythology/world building (even if derivative.) I'll have to see if I can find the story it was based on.
Too much of the dialog is whispered, the witch is a little campy at times, especially at the beginning. The tiny bit of comic relief (look for the doorknob) was a nice try but feels a little forced or out of place. The camera cuts were a little overdone
I did like the mythology/world building (even if derivative.) I'll have to see if I can find the story it was based on.
Hard pass for a kids movie
jameshar_nmsu28 October 2019
Raw & Weak Narnia Rip Off
cahidi5 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I don't usually write a review. Only when a movie is really good or really bad. This movie is the latter. Not only the acting was so wooden, the special effects weren't so great, also the editing was horrendous. Not to mention that it's obviously a Narnia rip off. An evil witch, a hero child from another world supported by the local hero? Please... this is a super sad version of Narnia. Low budget, amateurish directing, bad acting, cheap effects, sucky editing, this movie had them all! It's so slow and boring. And also, why did lots of characters were whispering? Is the audience supposed to tremble by the witches whispering? I don't think so! That was a stupid decision to make. The director doesn't have any talent in movie making. Get another job!
Looks like a great quality movie for a 1960's 'narnia' or shadow and bone.
crabislandnotarysigning5 October 2022
Normally I don't review these films. This one, I initially thought was a 1960's Narnia film because of the 3 minute intro. I was surprised that it was a 2014 film. Irish film, and clearly based on narnia, and the storyline is intriguing. Like 1960's films, it moves slow and uses contrast and shadow of dramatic black and white films. The witches crown reminds me of the necklace Arwen wears. But the dialogue is hard to understand in the beginning. The witch is like an Evil Eve from a dark Eden. 8 minutes in it has a scene reminiscent of Halloweentown. Similar to Netflix's 'shadow and bone' series about the books of the same name.
A Spirited Tale
OldManCopper29 March 2019
I always enjoy the unwinding of a good tale, and Guardians of the Ancient Shadow Crown was a spirited journey, steeped in myth and legend. The witch, played by Natalia Kostrzewa, was mesmerizing. If you enjoy a wholesome family film rounded out with a bit of the 'ole supernatural, than give this a watch.
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