Boston Globe Gives 'The Magic Faraway Tree' 1.5 Stars for 110 Minutes of Twee Storytelling
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Aug 20
Boston Globe Gives 'The Magic Faraway Tree' 1.5 Stars for 110 Minutes of Twee Storytelling
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Aug 20
Summary
A 1.5-star Boston Globe review says “The Magic Faraway Tree” feels mechanical and underexplained, arguing its nearly two-hour runtime still leaves major gaps in plot and mythology.
110 minutes of whimsy, the review says, never deliver the emotional pull or magic of “Wonka” or “Paddington 2,” despite a Simon Farnaby script and a cast led by Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy.
The critique faults thinly drawn parents and uneven family drama, while saying the child characters and the enchanted-tree worlds offer only intermittent appeal for book fans and very young viewers.
Production design, costumes and makeup earn the film’s strongest praise, especially Rebecca Ferguson’s Dame Snap, but the Globe says visual care could not overcome weak character development and a messy story.