Very disappointing...

To me, this movie is perfection.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

I went into MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM fully expecting to hate it, yet I was left pleasantly surprised by the experience. It utilises the backdrop and narrative of a children's film to explore themes of work, commitment, death, and loyalty, and it does so in an interesting way. The setting is a magical toy shop presided over by a delightful Dustin Hoffman, who steals all of his scenes especially compared to the lacklustre Natalie Portman. I was pleased that the film doesn't overly rely on aimless CGI effects; they are present and they do serve the story, but not at the expensive of the more important film elements. The story is sentimental without being sickeningly so, and it's even quite moving in places. It reminded me of the old-fashioned feel of WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

Vacillating over scoring this 3 or less. A generally disappointing movie that one can only imagine genuinely respected actors such as Dustin Hoffman must have ended up feeling a bit embarrassed about being involved with. Potentially this could have been a much better film. One appreciates that it is fantasy, and essentially aimed at children, but this is no excuse for the overarching contrivances and heavy-handed sentimentality all aimed at achieving an emotional response. This film needed another half hour to flesh-out the characters and plot to make us 'care' about them and left too many things feeling flimsy and undeveloped. Children of a certain age may be momentarily amused by some of the 'special effects' for some of the time, but the screenplay, the constant use of emotional music and meme-like conversational gambits, and the rather 'bright'/made-for-TV feel of the production quality, combined with the essentially simplistic and facile 'big message' all leave one feeling bluntly dissatisfied and frustrated at having spent 90-odd minutes watching something that was ultimately 'less than the sum of its parts'.

People who dislike this film miss the point of it, I think. It isn't a modern wry take on a children's movie, it is a children's story. But, if you just forget the idea that a kids movie should have jokes aimed at the adults, it's surprisingly good. Natalie Portman shows great acting chops, and is a great foil for Dustin Hoffman. The script and the cinematography is excellent, without any noticeable lags. And much of the story works very well on an adult level; ultimately we all have to find our spark; ultimately we all have to leave, at some point. I have used this film as an assignment for students in Careers class, because it helps them realize that the things that prepare us for one career over another are often very subtle and easy to miss. Much like this film, itself.

(I don't know if it was a spoiler and this is my first time review)I could see that there were negative reviews. Its makes me heartbroken about it because people say that its only for kids. That is untrue it is for any range of age.This movies explore the everyday means of magic aka believing.Also I could feel messages coming out of the movie. For example its alright if your old and play toys, nothing wrong with your childish side.This movie is brilliant and had been misjudged. The characters in the story fit with the plot.Even if it has a childish vibe to it, nothing wrong with it.One word I have to conclude to it ..... ..... Magical!