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In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Blistering performances.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

While watching this, I was only watching because some manner of dinosaurian critter summoned by a wish appearing in the commercial, and I will watch pretty much anything featuring dinosaurs.I knew that would be a tiny amount of the actual film and would've changed the channel afterwards, but I was entertained by the appearance of the crazy family the kids stay with - both parents being generally oblivious to ridiculous extremes while the cousin is about the closest thing to an antagonist, although it seems he really isn't all that prominent in the film.Despite very odd and generally funny things happening there were some somewhat sad moments, and later heartwarming moments.Actually I can't say much about this film because with comedies they're either funny or not; personally therefore I usually have difficulty finding much I can talk about (beyond maybe quoting jokes and such but that seems a bad idea considering the humor is usually best viewed in the film's context).

Five children go to the country to stay with their uncle during the First World War. While exploring the house they come upon a secret door which takes them down to the beach where they meet a "sand fairy" who agrees to grant one wish a day for them. The wishes all go horribly wrong, but in the process the children learn something.The Jim Henson Company produced this adaptation of the E Nesbit story and its not one of their better works. The film looks like any other children's book adaptation you can think of to the extent that you could probably inter-cut scenes from this film with any other similar children's film and not be able to tell the difference. Its not bad, but it doesn't have anything unique about it......well actually it does, It has two excellent performances that keep this film from sinking to the bottom of the children's film adaptation barrel. The first is Kenneth Branagh as they kids crazy Uncle Albert. he isn't in it all that much but while he's on screen he chews the scenery looking like a deranged Jim Broadbent. He is charmingly scatterbrained as a man who doesn't know what day it is and who wonders where last October went to.The other joy is Eddie Izzard, in his best role to date as the voice of the sand fairy, the "It" of the title. This is Izzard at his free-form best as he bounces off the walls of sanity in a steady stream of nonsense. Izzard's portrayal is a kin to an evening of his best stand-up comedy but in the context of the story, where anything can and will come out of the mouth of a little creature with a mobile home. Its one of the funniest things I've seen on screen on long time and he's the real reason to see the film.Over all a completely average children's film made more than watchable thanks to Eddie Izzard's vocal performance as It. Worth a rental or a viewing on cable, especially if you're a fan.

This is one of those "family" movies that I can't imagine having much appeal to anyone over about 9. A group of siblings discovers a "sand fairy" (yes, really) conveniently located at the end of a not-so-secret passage at the country home of their eccentric uncle, to which they've been evacuated from the London blitz. ...And there you have it, all in one sentence. The story is about the role of magic in childhood and the danger of getting wishes fulfilled, but neither of these issues is examined in a way that would be interesting to adults or instructive to children (or vice versa!). The only reason I can think of for watching this is to see how starkly Freddie Highmore's outstanding talent stands out from the rest of the mediocre performances.

With the "children's movie" industry becoming increasingly reliant on computer-animated films to light up children's' faces and make us laugh, it's an event worth celebrating when a live-action children's film as genuine and warm as "Five Children and It" comes into the picture.Set in a refreshingly simplistic perspective of the World War I era, the story tells of a charming bunch of children who are separated from their parents to live in their strange, arithmetically-obsessed uncle's huge castle in the countryside. While their parents are off serving duties in the war cause, Robert (Freddie Highmore) and his siblings struggle to cope with the strict rules of Uncle Albert's (Kenneth Branagh) mansion, as well as the separation from their dear parents. In an amazing little adventure, Robert and the others discover "It," a mysterious little creature at the end of a hidden passageway who grants one single wish to the children each day. But Its magic may end up causing more misfortune than fortune.Witty and sassy little Robert misses and worries for his father so much that he struggles to except that Dad may not return from fighting at war. In a superbly genuine portrayal, Highmore charms the viewer with perhaps his most deeply expressive and emotional performance of his career, next to his spectacular exploration of Peter Llewelyn Davies in "Finding Neverland." Highmore is one of the finest child actors there is today, and is continuing to reach for the stars, most currently in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." In "Five Children," Freddie fits his Robert like a glove, and achieves what few actors can-- he causes the viewer to become attached to the character. Arousing our sympathy and tearing our hearts, Mr. Highmore has done it again. Astounding! It would be ridiculous not to also acknowledge the wonderful performances by the other children, whose ability to compliment each other with on-screen chemistry is truly a joy to watch. And of course, It, the sand-fairy, is an amusing little character brought wonderfully to life by Jim Henson puppetry and Eddie Izzard. Granted, the animation effects for the film are quite poor, but I am pleased to say that this does not matter. Director John Stephenson has created a lovely children's film without advanced use of computer-- now that's magic! "Five Children and It" leaves us with a heart-warming message and a feeling of purity so rare in films these days, that it's a shame this movie wasn't widely distributed. And although it can't be said that this movie reached %100 of its potential, I personally don't understand any negative comments that critics may make regarding it, for this movie is truly exceptional children's entertainment. Why not simply appreciate it for what it is? Still, it feels good to be one of the few people who appreciate this little gem of a film, which gently reminds us that even though as we grow old the magic of childhood may die, the mark it leaves on us is eternal.Grade: B+ / Stars: 3 out of 4