Albion: The Enchanted Stallion

Movie review by Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media
Albion: The Enchanted Stallion Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 10+

Generic fantasy about a magical world has some violence.

NR 2016 106 minutes
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Parents say

age 9+

Based on 2 reviews

Kids say

age 9+

Based on 7 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Albion: The Enchanted Stallion is a fantasy that has the feel of the start of a magical universe franchise. It features a brave child negotiating her way through warring peoples in a strange world. The movie tries, not always successfully, to mimic the comic adventure style of The Princess Bride. Violence threatened by bad guys is ever-present, but good characters, including a selfless queen (Debra Messing), a protective abbess (Jennifer Morrison), and a fierce and loyal female warrior played by the director, are willing to risk their lives to do the right thing to end the fighting. Tweens are the targeted audience. Violence is limited and not especially bloody, and the most dastardly villain (played by John Cleese) is funny.

Community Reviews

TabbyD
TabbyD Adult
May 31, 2019
age 5+

Fairly Done

The movie starts off a little slow. You will sit and wonder what’s it actually about for the first 5-10mins. When her dad starts to tell her a story about a magical creature then you will get a sense of what may happen. Once she’s in the magic land she meets a few silly characters who are silly but not overly crazy. The only over crazy character you will find is John Cleese’s portrayal at the General Tyrant. He character may be the only bad part about the movie as he is overly sized in a sloppy way and eats about anything including a finger. As the story goes on and new character are introduced the story will start to come together. All in all I believe it is a good movie with no “real” badness in it. It’s a clean movie without much actual violence, no bad words, or sexual content. It may not be a movie many people enjoy but for a mother who’s looking for something that’s clean for her kids to watch this is much. Some of the acting may not be the best but having a movie that the whole family can watch it’s worth it. The kids won’t care if they “can act” or not. They just see the story for what it is. The main character who is a fierce preteen who felt like she was nothing learns that she can be brave, smart, and worth while to herself, her family, and friends. This movie isn’t about making money or being the best it’s about showing that no matter the way you see things or feel you’re always destined for greater things. The movie may be more pleasing to an audience of 5-12yr olds. Like I mentioned twice before it’s just a clean movie and some parents just want that for their kids because it’s hard to find any movie like that now. Hope this helped.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Lisa K.
Lisa K. Adult
June 5, 2018
age 13+

Creepy and negative towards men

My daughter and I were both creeped out by the king eating the other guy's finger. Neither of us found the king or whatever he was funny at all - he was just gross. I was also really creeped out by the way the men got right in the face of the little girl and called her "little girl". The violence wasn't realistic but was still yucky and unnecessary. The acting was generally bad, though the main character was better than most of them. There were several references to all men being bad or violent, and the dad was also being taken care of by the young girl - he had no backbone. Generally, zero positive male role models and lots of insults to men on the whole. I would rather watch movies that have some strong characters of both genders. In general, though the movie was pretty, it was also creepy. PS I've seen a bunch of references to this movie somehow trying to be like The Princess Bride, but I was looking and couldn't find a single place where it even seemed to be attempting that. My daughter and I both love The Princess Bride and are very familiar with it. No obvious similarities at all that I can see.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

ALBION: THE ENCHANTED STALLION is the story of 12-year-old Evie (Avery Arendes), a Vermont stable girl who cares for her wheelchair-bound father (Stephen Dorff). After she's taken by a magical stallion to Albion, a strange, hidden land, she discovers that she is heir to an imperiled underground kingdom that will be destroyed by its enemy unless she uses her special gift on their behalf. Before she agrees to sign on for that, she helps Eriu (Castille Landon), a Danann warrior, find the Flame of Knowledge, one of their people's four ancient treasures, because it will help Evie find her way home. As she eventually agrees to take on the project of saving the downtrodden Dananns of Albion from the ruthless and war-mongering Melessians, she stands up to dangerous bullies, including their cruel leader, General Eeder (John Cleese).

Is It Any Good?

This is a generic otherworldly adventure designed to appeal to tween girls, complete with a sensible stable girl protagonist saving the day. In the mode of the Narnia and Hobbit tales, where a quest motivates the characters to do the courageous things they do, here an imperiled magical kingdom needs a 12-year-old girl's assistance for survival. Many of these adventure-in-a-strange-world films would profit from a 10- or 20-minute reduction in running time, and this is no different. There's an obvious and not always successful effort to mimic the irreverent humor of The Princess Bride, and John Cleese, of Monty Python fame, amusingly executes the odd role of a cruel and cannibalistic general whose torso and face are covered with nipples.

Albion: The Enchanted Stallion features luscious green landscapes, swelling inspirational anthems, and a twisting and at times slow-moving plot about a peaceable people tricked into living underground in a treaty brokered by a hoodwinked goddess. Some are dressed like Vikings and others like Santa's elves, and yet others like medieval Crusaders. What world they live in, what era they live in -- for the first 80 minutes there are few answers to these big questions. What's impressive, nevertheless, is that this was co-written and directed by a plucky woman in her twenties, Castille Landon, who also plays Eriu. Just getting a movie made is an achievement to be lauded. The ending sets up the possibility of sequels to come. One hopes the next movie's editors will be more aggressive.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what Evie learns about herself through her journey in Albion: The Enchanted Stallion. How would you feel if you learned that most of what you knew about yourself wasn't accurate?

  • How do the characters demonstrate courage and loyalty? What about perseverance and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?

  • How does this movie compare to other fantasy films you've seen?

Movie Details

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