It's all wrong

Rating: 1/10 (11 March 2015)

What's wrong with this film? Children, magic, and tone.
1. Children. Any film that has children in it is in big trouble. Children on screen tend to be irritating, and this film is no exception.
2. Magic. Magic alone is a problem, because magic is essentially deus ex machina. And there is nothing more destructive for a film than deus ex machina. People hate that. If they all use magic, and magic can do anything, then what is the point? How can you even get involved in a scene when you cannot anticipate anything, other than the fact that the hero will eventually come up with some spell to get him out of the jam? Moreover, the film is so obsessed with the magical, that magic becomes tedious. If every room and every object is enchanted, then the whole magic is gone. If everything is magical, nothing is magical. Thus the overuse of magic works against the film.
3. The tone. The film starts as a children's adventure, but then introduces inappropriately sinister elements. This is particularly clear in the sequels, and there is a clear progression with each sequel. This is a huge weakness, because a film should never waver on the tone. You cannot expect the audience to shift from a children's film to a dark monster film. Is it for children, or is it for older audiences? The children will be scared by the monsters, the older audiences will be put off by the childishness. I absolutely hate he tonal mess that persists throughout the films.
Final verdict: I would avoid this franchise.