The greenery still has some magic in The Secret Garden, the latest from director Marc Munden.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Actually, don’t, because you’ve almost certainly heard the basics of The Secret Garden, either from the 1911 novel of the same name on which it’s based or the numerous film and TV adaptations. There’s an orphaned girl who’s sent to her cranky uncle’s estate, she discovers a magical garden, and she makes everyone’s life better. It’s a childhood classic at this point, and now a whole new generation gets to see it on the big screen.
Handling the adaptation is Munden, who is primarily a TV director (Utopia, National Treasure). He’s got a few small features peppered in there, but to be honest he feels like a hired gun for a project too familiar to fail.
The only real gamble here is with the lead actress, Dixie Egerickx, who is a relative unknown. She’s done a few projects here and there, most notably with a small role in the unfairly forgotten The Little Stranger, and now she must carry a big film with lots of effects and lots of expectations. She’s backed up by several seasoned pros, though, with the adults around the house being played by Julie Walters and Colin Firth.
It’d be hard to mess up such a solid story, but hopefully this aspires to more than an adequate adaptation.
The Secret Garden is directed by Marc Munden and stars Dixie Egerickx, Julie Walters, and Colin Firth. It will be released in the UK on April 10th, 2020. For international release dates, click here.
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