My brief review of the film

Rating: Null/10 (19 October 2005)

With a surprisingly good dose of atmosphere, thanks to great lighting choices and moody sets, this film manages to capture typical childhood imagination and sense of adventure very well. The second half is weaker than the first, as it becomes a bit too sentimental as it progresses, but I personally still found it thoroughly engaging the whole time through. The music score is wonderful, as is the camera-work and special effects. The editing is a little less than great though, with awkward jump cuts here and there. The film is very simple, and it seems easy to flaw it for being so, however, since the film takes a child's point-of-view outlook on the events, the simple delivery is quite effective. The lack of complexity truly invokes a sense of being young and blissfully naïve again. The only aspect that could be labeled as too simple is the characters - they could have definitely done with more depth. Overall, this is a well-made escapism film: a well-crafted dive into a child's perspective. Its simplicity will annoy some, but others will find it charming. I guess it depends a lot on the individual viewer here.