HagenDas
I'm a big fan of the series. I'm surprised critics say it's typical Disney Channel garbage. For me, it's Bewitched for the 90s, especially the first three seasons. This was fun enough to watch if you like the series. Even so, it feels awkward at times to see Sabrina without her Aunts, Harvey and the rest of the normal cast.This TV movie was broadcast on October 4, 1998 during a time when Season 3 was airing. So you can't help, but think throughout the film that Sabrina's being unfaithful to Harvey with her romantic interest in this Paul guy. It also feels like the writer's tossed her on a trip to Rome for no reason. Some connection to her regular life would have been nice. I don't recall her talk about her aunts or Harvey once in the film. It feels like a what-if scenario in a parallel universe without the film actually stating it.I think you have to suspend-your-disbelief a little too much for the film. Even if it was a parallel universe, it makes no sense for her love interest be some guy in Rome, that she's never going to see again. I've heard of this sort of love story before
but, the chemistry between Sabrina and Paul is forced and seems unnatural. My first time seeing this was after I'd already watched all seven seasons. The quality of the movie doesn't touch that of the season it was made for (Season 3). This definitely is a lot better then some of the later season's episodes.If you're a big enough fan of the series you'll get some enjoyment out of this.
kenny_c_hueholt
This movie was great. Sabrina travels to Rome and finds a locket belonging to an old ancestor of hers. She has to find a missing piece though. I especially like her line, "This thing hasn't been uncovered for over 500 years and now it's all up to me. And people say I procrastinate." I also liked the part with Salem and Stonehenge (the guinea pig) wrecking havoc at that Italian restaurant. This runs on the WB pretty often. Highly recommended.
gavin-62
This was a mildly enjoyable film, but nowhere near as good as the TV series from which it is derived, lacking the manic sense of humour and deranged surrealism. The film is a bit slow moving and jokes are subordinated to plot, which is unfortunate because the plot is nebulous and badly thought out. Another problem is that this is basically a sit-com character taken out of the usual situation from which the comedy derives. Sabrina the Teenage Witch is essentially a vicious and well-observed parody of banal American high-school dramas which take themselves too seriously. Without this context, there is much less scope for humour. Nevertheless, there are some very funny scenes, and at least we get to see the lovely Melissa Joan Hart against the equally lovely backdrop of Rome. Tara Charendoff is also very sexy as an English witch (with an almost convincing accent!) and you get to see her kissing a lot of pigeons (don't ask!). But has her cockney guinea pig got the worst accent since Dick Van Dyke? "Cor bloimey myte, 'e blinken well 'as". But overall a reasonable effort. "Wicked", as we supposedly say in England...
Eva Ionesco
I grew up devoted to the Archie comics, including Sabrina, so I was a little worried when I heard they were going to make a TV show of Sabrina. Would they get it right? Would they capture the spirit and intent of the original version. I was highly skeptical to say the least, but after viewing the first TV show, I was ecstatic! They had done it even better than the comic!Sabrina quickly became my favourite show, and I was even happier when it continued to improve throughout the seasons. The witty lines, the cute magic, the great personalities and the wonderful lessons Sabrina learned in human values all combined to make it into the best show on television.That's why I'm more than a little disappointed with this movie. It drags! The witty lines are few and far between, the humour misses more often than it hits, the storyline is farcical, the acting is stagey. Even Salem, who makes the TV show so good, is not at his best. The whole cast seems uncomfortable.I love films, and I usually focus on the good points of even the bad ones, as there is usually something to love in almost all films. But with this film, it's very difficult. I can't recommend it, and I think most Sabrina fans would be disappointed. I've given it only 2 out of 10.