Found it on Peacock; entertained me & happy ending, which is not a spoiler, but what I like to see at the end of a movie. Some acting was fine, some was not the greatest, but in this case, I didn't care.
15 Reviews
Enjoyed the redemptive theme
fbkathied9 January 2022
Could have been good movie with better acting
ComicNerd7 November 2014
I found this movie on Netflix. It looked like it would be a fun family mystery. It wasn't a bad story but not a single person in the movie could act.
It's got a nice mystery, it's well shot, but the character of Ace Wonder was annoying and most of the actors were at about the level of bad community theatre.
I don't understand why every actor has the same name as in real life?
I realize the movie was intended for family audiences but there is no reason to accept such poor acting.
It's a shame it was a pretty well made movie otherwise. I do look forward to future Ace Wonder movies if the can improve the actors in them.
It's got a nice mystery, it's well shot, but the character of Ace Wonder was annoying and most of the actors were at about the level of bad community theatre.
I don't understand why every actor has the same name as in real life?
I realize the movie was intended for family audiences but there is no reason to accept such poor acting.
It's a shame it was a pretty well made movie otherwise. I do look forward to future Ace Wonder movies if the can improve the actors in them.
Enjoyable mystery
vchimpanzee30 August 2020
Solving the mystery proves to be quite an adventure and results in some improved relationships. There is also some minor violence and some people do jail time.
Gator Moore is quite a character, but he doesn't quite reach his full potential. In some scenes he is everything we saw when he was introduced, and in others he's just an ordinary 10-year-old solving a mystery.
Also not utilized fully is the comic strip art. First we see Gator's work, and later actual characters in the movie are transformed into their comic book counterparts. Gator is adding to his work on this real-life mystery all the time, but we don't really see that much of it. It's great when we do.
Still, this is an entertaining, sometimes scary and often funny story, with some of the standard situations you run into with this formula. Finding the clues requires intelligence and things are just complicated enough.
Most of the actors are good enough. Robert Grossman, though, really stands out. He's just plain intimidating and should have his own horror movie or TV show, if not a series. Imagine Christopher Lloyd with the voice of Roscoe Lee Browne.
Garrett Schenck may be too old by now, but if someone with a liberal agenda was looking for an actor to play Donald Trump, he certainly has the right look, if The Donald let his hair turn gray and actually looked his age. His style of speaking isn't exactly eloquent, but that's why I say Trump as depicted by liberals. For what may or may not be a villain, Schenck gets it right but isn't too intimidating. There's always a question there about what he is.
When I saw this movie it had a V-chip rating of TV-14. That's overdoing it. All I can conclude is that someone must have figured if a 10-year-old is the main character, they don't want to encourage 10-year-olds to watch. I say there's nothing harmful here. Minor violence. That's it. One word was bleeped.
This is a fun mystery that should probably be a series.
Gator Moore is quite a character, but he doesn't quite reach his full potential. In some scenes he is everything we saw when he was introduced, and in others he's just an ordinary 10-year-old solving a mystery.
Also not utilized fully is the comic strip art. First we see Gator's work, and later actual characters in the movie are transformed into their comic book counterparts. Gator is adding to his work on this real-life mystery all the time, but we don't really see that much of it. It's great when we do.
Still, this is an entertaining, sometimes scary and often funny story, with some of the standard situations you run into with this formula. Finding the clues requires intelligence and things are just complicated enough.
Most of the actors are good enough. Robert Grossman, though, really stands out. He's just plain intimidating and should have his own horror movie or TV show, if not a series. Imagine Christopher Lloyd with the voice of Roscoe Lee Browne.
Garrett Schenck may be too old by now, but if someone with a liberal agenda was looking for an actor to play Donald Trump, he certainly has the right look, if The Donald let his hair turn gray and actually looked his age. His style of speaking isn't exactly eloquent, but that's why I say Trump as depicted by liberals. For what may or may not be a villain, Schenck gets it right but isn't too intimidating. There's always a question there about what he is.
When I saw this movie it had a V-chip rating of TV-14. That's overdoing it. All I can conclude is that someone must have figured if a 10-year-old is the main character, they don't want to encourage 10-year-olds to watch. I say there's nothing harmful here. Minor violence. That's it. One word was bleeped.
This is a fun mystery that should probably be a series.
-God Awful Acting-
tomasruival-8-4277023 March 2018
I it is very curious how the few 10/10 ratings sound like promos for the movie. They all seem to have a lot of info about the production, have the same basic concepts in them and the overall feel of a sales pitch. On the other hand, the lower ratings are written with different styles and they each have their own thoughts about the movie. I also noticed the high ratings don't speak in the first person as all of the others do. The low ratings say stuff like "I thought" or "I felt like this part..." while the high ratings read like the back part of the DVD case.
----TLDR: Don't post advertisements on the User Reviews section please.....----
----TLDR: Don't post advertisements on the User Reviews section please.....----
Not worth watching
christinawalden64 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Worst acting I've ever seen in a movie marketed for public viewing, and I did force myself to watch the whole thing in case it got better. It didn't...The script and plot line were also very poor. Although the basic idea of the plot is executed, there are extended periods of lag. I found it boring, and family friendly shouldn't mean boring. I don't want to be guilty of spoilers, but the basic plot is a boy, who wants to be a detective, looking into mysterious circumstances following the death of another older boy's grandfather. The female(I think there are a total of 4)characters were so undeveloped I wondered why they even bothered including them. I can't recommend this one.
Interesting idea in need of actors
pensman24 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The writer/director, John Robert Moore, must hate himself. The property is an update of The Rover Boys via The Hardy Boys via The Three Investigators. A grandfather dies and leaves a puzzle for his grandson, Derek. Here is the first subplot: Derek wants solve the puzzle but is stymied in large part by the estrangement he has from his own father. The second subplot revolves around Ace Wonder, a ten year old would be detective and graphic novel writer. Now the basic idea isn't bad but the best actor in this mess is a tree which is some sort of energy transfer device created by the grandfather, an eccentric inventor who we learn felt estranged from Derek's father. If Moore had raised more money for the project, if Moore had hired actors who had more emotive abilities than the bark of a tree, if Moore had hired someone to edit his script, and if Moore had just stepped away from the project then a competent director might have given us a pretty good film. It is painful to watch this cast move about the screen destroying dialogue. I'm not sure how you would get a pre-teen to watch this mess. I suggest if your goal is a film for preteens then watch The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box. If nothing else the contrast in acting is palpable.
Clean, Fun Family Film
daughterofzion3118 August 2014
Ace Wonder is a great movie for family night! This fun film has it all, action, humor, lovable characters, and a great mystery. This is one film you'll want to watch again and again with the whole family.
Ace Wonder is a boy detective, a Sherlock Holmes wannabe, but he has a hard time coming up with a "truly brilliant mystery." When his family's RV breaks down in a Podunk town, he stumbles upon a mystery involving messages from a dead man.
Derek is heartbroken upon his grandfathers death, regretful that he was unable to spend more time with him. When a mysterious message addressed to Derek appears at the funeral, he has to follow the clues. But it seems they all lead to only dead ends. What Derek needs is help, help from an expert detective. What he needs is Ace Wonder.
This is an adventure the whole family is sure to love. It's Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones wrapped up in a cute little kid.
Ace Wonder is a boy detective, a Sherlock Holmes wannabe, but he has a hard time coming up with a "truly brilliant mystery." When his family's RV breaks down in a Podunk town, he stumbles upon a mystery involving messages from a dead man.
Derek is heartbroken upon his grandfathers death, regretful that he was unable to spend more time with him. When a mysterious message addressed to Derek appears at the funeral, he has to follow the clues. But it seems they all lead to only dead ends. What Derek needs is help, help from an expert detective. What he needs is Ace Wonder.
This is an adventure the whole family is sure to love. It's Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones wrapped up in a cute little kid.
Cute Film
endersgame19721 March 2021
While a cute story with a cute idea behind it this is one kids movie I can not get behind the plot was under developed not well though out and it seamed rushed to me the movie its self moved way to fat for the likes of me i would have liked more character development like more information on Gator and his background the dads Job and so fourth and so on . The story was under developed and very poorly executed the the idea of a kid Dective is not a bad one I agree with the idea of this film but it kneads a lot more work
this is a fil for the kids Not rely for us grown ups
this is a fil for the kids Not rely for us grown ups
Wonder-ful movie! Ignore obnoxiously pretentious bad reviews.
mrsbirkeland9 March 2019
I am so happy to have found this gem in Amazon Prime video. It was charmingly unaffected and very well put together. The plot was interesting from the first scene. It not only kept my attention, I was caught up in the mystery and enjoyed each and every moment that these wonderful characters were on screen working together. I found the main characters extremely likable and relatable. Some reviewers stated "how horrible" the acting was. They are apparently far to self-important to be able to appreciate this great film for what it is; a refreshingly fun, family friendly mystery with an interesting set of characters in a beautiful location that put a smile on my face. I hope you will give it a watch. I also hope that Mr. Moore and his family will be kind enough to grace us with at least another Ace Wonder movie.
Family fun has a double meaning here
agsconsulting287415 September 2018
I love this movie. It has a good story line. It moved at a good pace, and kept my attention. The plot was well-woven. The use of the graphic novel sub-theme was very appealing. it's really a great movie for the whole family to watch together. And it's amazingly well-done for what seems to be a private venture. I did not know that many of the main characters were not professional actors until doing some research. I tried to find out more, without much success, but the Moore family are in the film using their real names, and were involved in the production and other aspects. What ever became of Gator Moore? I hope they read this, and would consider making more films like this one.
I disagree with the negative reviews, and highly recommend this movie as good clean family fun. There aren't many films that I can say that about in recent years.
I did not give it a ten, because I reserve that honor to only a select few, but this film came very close in my opinion.
I disagree with the negative reviews, and highly recommend this movie as good clean family fun. There aren't many films that I can say that about in recent years.
I did not give it a ten, because I reserve that honor to only a select few, but this film came very close in my opinion.
True detective
nightowlsvideo19 August 2014
Every young and young at heart adventurer should see this film over and over again, Ace Wonder is on his way to becoming the next big Sherlock Holmes. This film has a Dove Foundation approval making it enjoyable for the entire family to watch, a plus for those of us who like good clean movies. This flick has every emotion one could have and a plot to keep you hanging on. Gator and Derek play great leads and hold the movie together. John Moore has proved once again what a great and wonderful talent he has, kudos John. Keep up the excellent work and we all look forward to your next big hit, hopefully we see more of the Great Detective - Ace Wonder.
top notch detective flick for kids of all ages
demarks512 November 2014
Nothing bad to say. Really enjoyable film to watch. Follow the clues and don't jump to conclusions. One of the best movies to sit and watch with your kids. Don't believe negative reviews. May be too clean for some looking for more raunch. Best of all worlds. Clean, fun, mystery. Lot of action. Great characters. Gator is my favorite (ace). He pulls it all together. Christian family production who also did Widows Mite. You will be glad you watched this. Sequel should be in wings. Another Sherlock Holmes in the making. You try to piece the evidence to solve the mystery but you need the characters to help you. Teamwork. Don't give up. Great role models and lessons to learn
Exciting Movie!
CharityBalyeat7 February 2019
Our Family Loved It!
stewartnmicah20 February 2019
The Moore's have made the best low-budget, big fun movies and short films that the whole family can truly enjoy. The actors may not be long time pros that everyone would recognize, but that's what adds to the fun of their work in this movie. Ace Wonder is a thoughtful faith-based mystery that combines family drama, young sleuths and even some science fiction to make for a fun movie. You'll pick up missed details the second time around.
Charmingly down-home entertainment
mupi-021053 June 2016
Not to be confused with the association of Hollywood-type productions or amateur movie critic-wannabes, this film successfully sets out to provide a positive social influence on youngsters by a fellow youngster embedded in his character along with his obvious real-life family. I applaud their objectives and efforts. The "acting" is simply the family members and their friends being themselves in an entertaining story line. I found it very refreshing and noteworthy that a family could and would undertake such a magnanimous project without injecting--an all-too-often-tendency--professional actors for big screen's decorum's sake. I'm glad I stumbled across this DVD and I look forward to discovering the rest of their projects.
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