KID’S TAKE ON MOVIES
‘FOUR KIDS AND IT’
Inspired by E. Nesbit’s 1902 serialized novel called Five Children and It, the movie Four Kids
and It is a wonderful fantasy film for all ages that brings the story alive.
The CGI seems so real that I believed the Psammead (the creature in the film played by Michael Caine) was actually alive and right there with the actors on the set.
Full of adventure, Four Kids and It is about two families. Each family has two kids, and all four kids want their birth parents to get back together.
When the two split families meet up for a vacation, the kids find out their parents are dating each other, and they absolutely freak out. While being forced to play with each other and to get to know each another, they meet a magical sand creature called a Psammead, who tells them he can grant each of them wishes, but only one a day. Also, the wishes expire at sunset.
Throughout this movie, the four kids get to know each other better, become much closer and start to bond more like a real family. There is a man named Tristan Trent (Russell Brand), who lives in a mansion on the island that they all go to for their vacation. For generations, Tristan’s family were hunters of rare and unique living creatures on Earth. Tristan and his ancestors have been trying to find the legendary Psammead for decades.
When the kids come to the island, he knows that he could use them to track the creature down. If he can lure out and capture the creature, he can finally add it to his family’s collection of trophies … and hopefully get in a wish or two as well.
The scenes with the kids each coming up with their own magical wishes and living them out for the day are fun. It also made me wonder what I would wish for if I only had a day to experience a wish.
The message of this film is to be careful what you wish for, but also that sometimes change happens and no matter how bad it seems, that it can offer up new opportunities and maybe create something better than you ever had before.
I give Four Kids and It 5 out of 5 stars, and I recommend it for ages 6 to 18; adults will love it too. I know my parents sure did.
The movie is available on Blu-Ray, DVD and on-demand, as well as major digital platforms like Amazon Prime.