RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / The Secret of Moonacre
The Secret of Moonacre

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Showtimes & Tickets
  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Secret of Moonacre (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
16 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:19

Fresh:3

Rotten:16

Average Rating:3.7/10

Consensus: Despite impressive production values, this is staid, plodding and unimpressive fantasy-fare, with poor performances struggling with an underdeveloped script.

Rated: U

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:06-02-2009

Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Dakota Blue Richards, Tim Curry, Natascha McElhone

Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Dakota Blue Richards, Tim Curry, Natascha McElhone, Juliet Stevenson

Director: Gabor Csupo

Director: Gabor Csupo

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 5

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for The Secret of Moonacre

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
splat
2/5

Edward Porter

Richards starred in 2007’s The Golden Compass and, compared with big-budget fantasies of that kind, this smaller effort can’t help looking mimsy, despite its good intentions.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 12 2009 05:09 AM

Sunday Times (UK)

splat

Philip French

A film about magic that remains obdurately unmagical.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 12 2009 05:01 AM

Observer [UK]

splat
1/5

Anthony Quinn

A sluggish narrative is further hampered by "comic" turns (Juliet Stevenson, as a gurning governess) and some frankly shameless knockoffs.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 10 2009 05:28 AM

Independent

splat
2/5

Allan Hunter

Routine special effects merely add to the impression that this is a second division fantasy.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 10 2009 05:18 AM

Daily Express

tomato

Peter Bradshaw

A sweet if faintly soporific fantasy adventure for family audiences.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 06 2009 02:26 AM

Guardian [UK]

splat
2/5

Simon Reynolds

This whimsical children's tale is uninspired yet doesn't drop far enough below mediocrity to justify a place in the lineup of "so-bad-they're-good" movies.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 06 2009 01:54 AM

Digital Spy

splat
1/5

Christopher Tookey

Fantasy doesn't come feebler than this.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 06 2009 01:44 AM

Daily Mail [UK]

splat
2/5

David Edwards

It’s a slow-moving affair with wooden acting, duff special effects and some woefully unfunny comic moments from Tim Curry as an undersized chef. All in all, the thing’s severely lacking in magic.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 06 2009 01:32 AM

Daily Mirror [UK]

splat
1/5

The Secret Of Moonacre lacks action, adventure and magic.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 06 2009 01:10 AM

Sun Online

tomato
3/5

Helen OHara

Whilst missing a trick in terms of script and casting, at least they've amped up the action from the somewhat sedate book.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 05 2009 08:34 AM

Empire Magazine

splat
2/6

Trevor Johnston

Nicely put together, but just a little dull.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 05 2009 08:23 AM

Time Out

splat
2/5

Saxon Bullock

It's not quite a disaster but this disappointing and poorly executed fantasy adventure never reaches the level of magic and enchantment it needs to succeed.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 05 2009 08:08 AM

Channel 4 Film

tomato
3/5

James Christopher

Apart from some wooden over-acting, The Secret of Moonacre is a shrewd mix of live action and exotic animation by the Hungarian director Gabor Csupo.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 05 2009 07:53 AM

Times [UK]

splat
2/5

Elliott Noble

The cast looks vaguely uncomfortable too. Even shameless scenery-chewer Curry can’t muster any enthusiasm for an over-earnest script that throws around pearls of non-wisdom like moondust.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 05 2009 07:26 AM

Sky Movies

splat
2/5

Tom Charity

The costumes are beautiful. The sets are impressive… But somehow the movie feels cheap and malnourished, as if the money ran out when they were only halfway there.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 05 2009 07:12 AM

Total Film

splat
2/5

Derek Malcolm

The production design gives us plenty for the eye but a dull screenplay and patchy editing hardly bring the fantasy to life.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 05 2009 06:35 AM

This is London

splat
1/5

Matthew Turner

Poorly written, badly acted and ultimately disappointing fantasy adventure that suffers from plodding direction and fails to connect on an emotional level.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 05 2009 06:15 AM

ViewLondon

splat

Robbie Collin

It’s been adapted from a kids’ book called The Little White Horse, and the plot’s been totally mangled. But to be fair, the costumes are great.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 05 2009 05:59 AM

News of the World

splat
1.5/5

Rich Cline

Without a coherent central tone, this fantasy adventure feels like it drifts all over the place

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 05 2009 03:15 AM

Shadows on the Wall

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 18 2008 03:25 AM

Screen International

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 >> >|
See All

More Movies

Coming Soon
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

arrow arrow Show more Show less

100% 100% The Red Shoes 11/12
88% 88% Unmade Beds 11/12
72% 72% Where the Wild Things Are 11/12
67% 67% Carriers 11/12
40% 40% The Limits of Control 11/12
11% 11% The Stepfather 11/12
— Mascarades 11/12

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
20
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
159
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
69
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
47
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
46
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
45
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
42
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
39
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
30
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
25
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
24
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
22
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
22
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • The Secret of Moonacre at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.