Wonderwell

So when I'm trying to decide whether or not to watch a movie I often read what others have said on IMDb reviews. And I would agree with what most people said here, that the movie is confusing and does not have a clearly defined story line AT ALL or explain anything AT ALL. Generally, I love fantasy movies because they're very easy to get into and they can take you away and be very believable in their own right if they are done correctly. And then you have movies that blend fantasy and reality for an example the forgotten movie Prince charming with Martin short and Christina Applegate. Or for example, more recently, even the movie Enchanted. Those are perfect examples of where the line between reality and fantasy is very clearly marked in the film, very well-established, and so the reason for the character being in either one of those worlds in the movie is always very clear so you're not confused as to why both realms exist in the same movie. With this film, it's very unclear what the point of the fantasy world is at all. I wasn't able to establish any purpose for young violet to accidentally come across the magical woods. At first, you think that maybe it's going to be that she's going to become a young woman and learn about sex, and growing up and that kind of thing, with the analogy of the plug in the middle of the forest, but even that makes absolutely zero sense, when she looked into this magical tunnel in the forest and sees another version of herself. Is this supposed to be a version of herself after she has experienced sex? Seems unlikely because she's extremely young and they don't show that or hint that at all. Not that that couldn't work if that's the direction they took with it but it certainly isn't the impression I get from it. So what's the point of her seeing an alternate version of herself? When the film first starts out you get the impression when Violet is baking her cookies that she would like to cast a spell to get her family back together. Great, then you think it's gonna be about her parents connecting with her and maybe her relating better to her older sister, but nowhere in the film does that happen. Carrie Fisher's character is introduced to the audience as being magical because Violet was told by the boy in town that she's a witch so at least her purpose is established although I don't think there's really isn't any defining reason for Violet to randomly run into her. Is Rita Ora supposed to be evil? A scene reveals she is the witch's sister but that doesn't really pan out either because she doesn't really do anything except for let out this horribly forced fake badly acted maniacal laugh after meeting with Carrie Fisher and telling her that she's going to take over the magic power from their mother. Other than flirting with Violet's father, she doesn't really do anything inherently villain like. There's no clear establishment to her being the bad guy here at all. I'm not a screenwriter but it seems to me if they had stuck with one theme or the other it might not have been a bad movie. If they had developed Rita Ora to be more of a villain and the girls in a very clear storyline like Ariel and the Sea witch, selling their souls to become models, that could've worked in a realistic fashion. Or if they had just made the story in modern times and had Violet saving her sister from being sexually exploited that also would've worked. But throwing all of these weird elements together and having random loose ends not tied up leaves for a bad taste and unsatisfactory viewing. To give it one point of redemption I will say that it is definitely not unimpressive with some of the CGI elements. But what's really sad here is the movie was filmed in 2016 and was meant to be released in 2017 but because of the inflated budget due to the cost of the computer graphics that they wanted to complete the film, it took until 2023 to be completed. So, effectively it becomes Carrie Fisher's last role we see her in, and while she's delightful in it, it's not enough to save the movie. The film is not good, hardly watchable the first time and certainly not something I'd ever take the time to watch again. I would truly say the only reason somebody should watch this movie is if they are curious enough to sit through an hour and a half to see Carrie's last performance.

After the credits, I felt an urge to find out more about how Violet's life changed following her trip to Wonderwell. She could embark on new adventures and, generally, it'll be cool if the sequel explains the mythology of the Wonderwell universe, explores the history, origins, and lore of the fantastical elements introduced in the first movie. In Wonderwell, all those are taken for granted but I'm an inquisitive creature, so I'm looking forward to Wonderwell 2!" Hope to see a story about grown-up girl Violet and her adventures through her adult life. Although will be interesting to see grown-up children&parents line.

The production quality of the film is excellent, which gives the expectation for a good film, especially if intrigued by the trailer.

However, the film is just plain weird and not in a good way. The story seems to never really start, doesn't really know where it's trying to go and never really arrives anywhere.

I think, emphasis on think, it's trying to be clever as a metaphorical coming of age warning about sexual exploitation in the fashion industry? But the film doesn't achieve this aim and besides the very start and very end, the fantasy aspect is effectively irrelevant.

If aimed for children/young teens, it seems inappropriately overly sexual with a cast of all young minors and if aimed at adults it's just fundamentally built for the wrong audience with the irrelevant fantasy tale - which by the way makes no sense and I have no clue what happened, something about a key getting passed between witch sisters?!?

My wife wrapped after about 30 mins in, I committed to give it a chance but it never took off and then just ended, whilst simultaneously being weirdly inappropriate for the nature of film.

Don't recommend, even for intrigue.

Setting & Cinematography: 5/5. The blend of Italy's beauty with the fantasy world captivates right from the get-go. Story & Script: 4/5.

While the heart of Wonderwell is enchanting, certain areas, especially Yana and Hazel relationship motives, needed more explanation. Performances: 5/5. Carrie Fisher shines, anchoring the story with raw emotion. Pacing: 3.5/5. Some moments felt a tad rushed, pulling away from the overall immersion.

Comments: I watched Wonderwell with my child, and the tale's magic gripped him thoroughly. The mix of a modern setting with a fairy-tale twist was an instant hit. Despite some narrative hiccups, the film's emotional core and mesmerizing visuals make it a memorable watch, especially for younger viewers who find themselves swept up in its charm. A delightful pick for family movie nights.

I gave it 4 stars because it's stunningly beautiful, if that's what matters, I could have given a 10...but that's it!... And it's not even a merit of the movie itself, but of the production scouting that chose the location in Rome and Tuscany.

The movie jumps from confusing to inappropriate, I'm not a prude, but it made me feel uncomfortable many times.

There's one line where metaphors are named, and I was during the whole movie trying to find the metaphors in order to make sense, unfortunately I couldn't.

Maybe I'm dumb, or maybe the movie was.

One thing for sure, is that the movie drags, it's boring and pointless.

I wanted to love it so much, because of Carrie Fisher. But to be honest, the movie is a beautiful mess.