In "Zotz", a professor in ancient languages discovers that a mysterious amulet given to his niece can confer wondrous powers. This opens up vast possibilities. Sadly, not everyone is inclined to believe him...
"Zotz" is an agreeable movie meant for a (very) young audience. It does provide some laughs and giggles, although it lacks the kind of brilliance that might turn it into a classic. It also has nice special effects, some of which eerily predate those seen in the first "Matrix" movie.
However, enjoying the movie depends on a willingness to overlook the occasional flaw. For instance, you get our learned protagonist studying and translating the inscriptions on the amulet. As a result he discovers ever more instructions. After a while you get the impression he's translating a whole scroll - there's no way all of this text could fit on the amulet, even if the language involved were admirably concise. Now I realize we're talking about a fantasy/comedy movie, but still.
I've never read the source novel involved, but I get the impression it might be a very different beast, to wit a rather sharp and sharp-witted satire for fully-grown adults.
"Zotz" is an agreeable movie meant for a (very) young audience. It does provide some laughs and giggles, although it lacks the kind of brilliance that might turn it into a classic. It also has nice special effects, some of which eerily predate those seen in the first "Matrix" movie.
However, enjoying the movie depends on a willingness to overlook the occasional flaw. For instance, you get our learned protagonist studying and translating the inscriptions on the amulet. As a result he discovers ever more instructions. After a while you get the impression he's translating a whole scroll - there's no way all of this text could fit on the amulet, even if the language involved were admirably concise. Now I realize we're talking about a fantasy/comedy movie, but still.
I've never read the source novel involved, but I get the impression it might be a very different beast, to wit a rather sharp and sharp-witted satire for fully-grown adults.