Parents' Guide to

The Three Investigators in the Secret of Skeleton Island

By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Tween sleuths find danger and scares in South Africa.

Movie PG 2011 91 minutes
The Three Investigators in the Secret of Skeleton Island Poster Image

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Kids say (1):

THE THREE INVESTIGATORS IN THE SECRET OF SKELETON ISLAND is an entertaining story about kid sleuths. Here's what kids will want to know first: Is there a really cool secret hangout? Yes, hidden in a junk yard with a trap-door chair. Second, do they have cool gadgets? Yes, but only one of note: an itching powder gun. And lastly, are there any of the following in this story: booby traps, complex riddles to solve in perilous situations, or skeletons in haunted places? Yes, yes, and yes.

So all the elements seem to be in order. Why is this straight-to-DVD fare? Fans of the classic books will complain that the kids here just aren't the same quirky characters they have come to love. In fact, the characters aren't that well developed; if this is the first in the movie series, even if it's not the first book, this should have been a priority. Instead they spend time developing awkward tween romances and splicing in outlandish action sequences. The real story -- and the great characters at its heart -- is in there somewhere, and the focus deserved to be there.

Movie Details

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