TheBlueHairedLawyer Basically Five Children and It is the story of a group of kids who have three wishes granted by a strange creature called the sand fairy. If your kid is two years old they may enjoy it, but overall it's pretty bad. Boring soundtrack, lousy acting and a rather dull plot make this a movie I wouldn't recommend. There is one good thing about it, no sex jokes or fart jokes, but aside from that it's a pretty pathetic film. That being said, it is a children's movie, so to truly decide whether or not your kid would enjoy it you'd have to make that decision on your own. This is just my opinion. I'd recommend Lilo & Stitch (2002), Paperhouse (1988) or Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973).

Neil Welch Edith Nesbit is best known for writing The Railway Children: Five Children And It has a much lower profile. But this story of five children relocated to the seaside, where they encounter a creature with magical powers, shares many similarities with The Railway Children in terms of story dynamics and emotional heart (displaced children, absent father etc.).This is a good adaptation. The children, headed by the excellent Feddie Highmore, are all very good. The sense of time and location are well realised, the adult support is solid, and the Psammead is a good mix of puppetry and CGI. The effects are not bad albeit often obviously effects: however, this sense of non-reality suits the story quite well.My only reservation concerns the script, where the Psammead itself (well, if idiosynscratically, voiced by Eddie Izzard) is often resolutely contemporary in its turn of phrase. This is a small quibble because it is always entertaining.This is an excellent film for family enjoyment.

jesussaysohyeahtokungfu Searching through the movies on 'Sky' when I was off work with flu, I stumbled across the film 'five children and it', when I was a young kid i Remember watching a program of the same name on 'BBC' and really loving it, so in an effort to restore past childhood memories (or potentially risk damaging them) i decided to give the new adaptation a go.It got me gripped from beginning to end and I could not believe this had not been 'in my face' more with advertising and marketing schemes, this has the feel of a real good old classic BBC children's drama that you would find on a Saturday afternoon and leaves you with a real good feel good factor.The cast is a really good choice with not a sniff of bad acting and plenty of great script work with funny,emotional and sometimes hysterical pieces of dialogue. 'Kenneth Brannagh' for me leads the cast as the professor, really funny and keeps a smile on your face. The children are all equally good, putting in excellent roles and not looking lost for a minute.....you would think they are a real family! Eddie Izard is a real gem though, giving him the role of the psamiead with a dodgy accent at first gives you the impression you are about to be disappointed but I could never have been further wrong, he has an amazing role and keeps the punchlines coming and coming.Overall I am a 21 year old guy and found this film to be a real treasure and would certainly tell my own kids one day to watch. I still think it is criminal that the film didn't do better than it did.a real worth see.

IMPeterPan 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