How do things like this happen? It looks like someone was trying to make a kids' movie. Actually, it's more likely they were just trying to make a buck. The sprightly old magician teaches the modern world how to believe again kinda crap, you know? Which is bad enough on its own, but here even that cliched concept crashes and burns. If Merlin's supposed to be helping people, then why is it that the only thing he makes happen are the violent deaths of household pets? Oh, that wacky old wizard, turning skeptical journalists into children so their infertile girlfriends can raise them in what's destined to be one majorly F'ed up Oedipal relationship! Honestly, this is one the most sadistic and mean-spirited "children's" movies I've ever seen.
There is at least a bit of humor in the production values. The director looks to have cannibalized an earlier movie to make some of the cut-scenes. 80's film-stock, hair and E.T. posters clash scene by scene with 90's cinematography and actors who whose inability to interact with their 80's counterparts is painfully obvious. And an old wizard walking around asking women if they've seen his monkey. Right, I'm sure you're really looking for a lost toy, dude...However, most of the unintentional humor is offset by seeing an Oscar-winning actor forced to resort to playing demeaning stereotypes of the elderly for what, judging by the rest of the production, must've been minimum wage.
Mike and the Bots were right on target when they ripped this thing apart on MST3K.
There is at least a bit of humor in the production values. The director looks to have cannibalized an earlier movie to make some of the cut-scenes. 80's film-stock, hair and E.T. posters clash scene by scene with 90's cinematography and actors who whose inability to interact with their 80's counterparts is painfully obvious. And an old wizard walking around asking women if they've seen his monkey. Right, I'm sure you're really looking for a lost toy, dude...However, most of the unintentional humor is offset by seeing an Oscar-winning actor forced to resort to playing demeaning stereotypes of the elderly for what, judging by the rest of the production, must've been minimum wage.
Mike and the Bots were right on target when they ripped this thing apart on MST3K.