Love Cate Blanchett, have liked various films of Jack Black and he is great when used properly (same with Kyle MacLachlan) and love fantasy/comedy. Seeing the advertising, 'The House with a Clock in Its Wall' doesn't blow the mind in this regard but it intrigues and the idea of the story sounded great (have not read the book).
Found 'The House with a Clock in Its Walls' something of a mixed bag while finding enough to like. It won't click with everybody, with some finding it too dark or others finding it too basic and lightweight so target audience may be an issue for some, both feelings very understandable. Its best elements are very good but the flaws are obvious. Not one of the best films of the year by all means, while also not one of the worst.
The most noticeable good asset is the splendid production design, just love the house which was like a character of its own and the atmospheric photography. Personally thought the special effects were quite good, particularly enchantingly eerie were the mannequins and even more so the pumpkins. The music has a nice mix of fun and scary which matches the film's objective of being scary/fun.
Eli Roth is an unusual choice for director, for him this is quite tame and very far removed from what he is famous for, he does very competently if with not an awful lot of distinction. 'The House with a Clock in Its Walls' starts off very well, it's interesting, is amusing and entices one right in. There are some fun set pieces and some unsettling ones. A highlight is the baby body with Black's head. Much of the final act excites. The adult cast are fine. Jack Black is both serious and eccentric and manages both with aplomb. Cate Blanchett is amusing, her and Black's banter and chemistry is a high-point of the film, and Kyle MacLachlan does a lot with a somewhat underwritten and underused villain role.
Owen Vaccaro's performance however was very uneven, sometimes he was appealing and quirky but at other points, and they appear more often, the acting is forced and he sometimes over-emoted. Sunny Suljic is much more natural if not without robotic moments. As said, Izard could have been a much more interesting character with more screen time and depth for all MacLachlan's best efforts.
Some of the middle act does drag when the action loses momentum and things become especially slight in an already very slight and at times rather lightweight story that could have been fresher. The satanic elements didn't seem to gel with the rest of the film and enough for older viewers to question the target audience intended. The dialogue is funny with Black and Blanchett, could have been more natural elsewhere. The very end felt too much like an anti-climax when the mostly exciting action in the final act where much of the story leads somewhere becomes a little rushed.
In summary, a lot of good elements but also with faults too difficult to ignore. 6/10 Bethany Cox
