Magic can only get you so far. More tension, more conflict . . . would have helped this unimaginatively straightforward film.
But pixie dust only goes so far, and the absence of a true antagonist or any diverting sideplots really hurts the film. The closest we get to a subplot is when Molly draws closer to one of the kids who seems to spend every single day at the store. Doesn´t Eric Applebaum the Hat Collector (Zach Mills) go to school? Don´t any of these kids? Are any of the toys sold, or do kids just come here as if it´s an alternate to green space in the city, playing with the toys and Mr. M. as if it were an outdoor park filled with see-saws, swings, and climbing mazes? Eric is the narrator, but not enough is done with this little guy, whose greater involvement would have deepened an otherwise shallow plot.
Helm wrote the screenplay for "Stranger than Fiction" and apparently liked what he saw of Hoffman, who played a professor in that film--enough to make him the lead actor in his first feature film. But the relationship between Mr. Magorium and Molly isn´t nearly complex enough for Hoffman and Portman to really play off of each other, and you get the feeling that two tremendous talents were wasted in "Mr. Magorium´s Wonder Emporium." As I said, it´s not a bad film by any means, but it lacks the kind of sparkle that Molly so desperately wants. And by the end of it all, we know exactly how she feels.
Video:
The 1080p picture was transferred to a 50GB dual-layered disc using AVC/MPEG 4 technology (35 mbps). Though the film might be less than scintillating, the visual look of it is pretty close to stunning. Colors are so saturated that all the toys in the store feel as if they´re coming to life, and the black levels are strong enough to reveal a nice amount of detail in everything, even shadows.
Audio:
The featured audio is an English DTS HD 5.1, which is dynamic enough. There´s a nice wide spread across the front speakers, with the rear speakers used primarily for effects during the animated toy store scenes. Dialogue doesn´t come across as pure as some of the other sounds and music, though. Or maybe the reverse is true. Maybe it´s because the music and effects are channeled through all 5.1 channels that they seem more dynamic.
Extras:
Here´s the curiosity, and it makes me wonder a bunch about what´s up: there are ZERO bonus features. I can´t even remember the last major studio release that came to Blu-ray with not a single bonus feature. The DVD has just a few featurettes that aren´t terribly wonderful, but still . . . not a single extra on the Blu-ray? I don´t get it.
Bottom Line:
Magic can only get you so far. More tension, more conflict, and more side plotting would have helped this unimaginatively straightforward film.
Helm wrote the screenplay for "Stranger than Fiction" and apparently liked what he saw of Hoffman, who played a professor in that film--enough to make him the lead actor in his first feature film. But the relationship between Mr. Magorium and Molly isn´t nearly complex enough for Hoffman and Portman to really play off of each other, and you get the feeling that two tremendous talents were wasted in "Mr. Magorium´s Wonder Emporium." As I said, it´s not a bad film by any means, but it lacks the kind of sparkle that Molly so desperately wants. And by the end of it all, we know exactly how she feels.
Video:
The 1080p picture was transferred to a 50GB dual-layered disc using AVC/MPEG 4 technology (35 mbps). Though the film might be less than scintillating, the visual look of it is pretty close to stunning. Colors are so saturated that all the toys in the store feel as if they´re coming to life, and the black levels are strong enough to reveal a nice amount of detail in everything, even shadows.
Audio:
The featured audio is an English DTS HD 5.1, which is dynamic enough. There´s a nice wide spread across the front speakers, with the rear speakers used primarily for effects during the animated toy store scenes. Dialogue doesn´t come across as pure as some of the other sounds and music, though. Or maybe the reverse is true. Maybe it´s because the music and effects are channeled through all 5.1 channels that they seem more dynamic.
Extras:
Here´s the curiosity, and it makes me wonder a bunch about what´s up: there are ZERO bonus features. I can´t even remember the last major studio release that came to Blu-ray with not a single bonus feature. The DVD has just a few featurettes that aren´t terribly wonderful, but still . . . not a single extra on the Blu-ray? I don´t get it.
Bottom Line:
Magic can only get you so far. More tension, more conflict, and more side plotting would have helped this unimaginatively straightforward film.
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[release]22939[/release]