My eight year old and I, his father, are avid readers. We listen to books on tape as he falls to sleep at night and we tried the book. It is rare when we pass on one, this one went on and on about missing sheets. We gave up on it, I guess we did too soon. We thought this movie was fantastic, excellent 'good vs. evil' theme and 'it's ok to be different'. Enchanting special effects, I am amazed I never heard of it. I read it was originally going to be a mini-series and was cut to this version. I would love to see the movie in it's entirety. I read a new version is in production, I can't wait.
The overall message of this Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie is that family members need each other and that the world is a evil place without love. This was an enjoyable movie for our family.
The quality & effects of the movie are great for a movie that was made for TV, not nearly the same quality as big screen films like Harry Potter.
There are some dark scenes, and effects that would scare younger children. The separation of family members was worrisome to my 7-year old. Examples: the father is missing, the kids are told to stay together and they don't, the kids leave their mom and younger brothers behind as they go to search for their dad.