Three wealthy children's parents are killed in a fire. When they are sent to a distant relative, they find out that he is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune.
A lavishly mounted blockbuster that has little personality of its own except on a purely visual level.
– Lou Lumenick,
New York Post,
20 Dec 2004
rotten:
Heinrichs helps take your mind off the slack direction and the letdown of a climax, which ought to make the kiddies hurl Gummi Bears at the screen.
– David Edelstein,
Slate,
21 Dec 2004
fresh:
A sick joke of a film that realizes the best children's entertainment doesn't hide from the bleaker side of life, but plunges into the void and respects kids enough to assume they can handle it.
– Nathan Rabin,
AV Club,
26 Sep 2005
fresh:
It's all a bit superficial, but highly entertaining, wickedly funny, and alluring enough to make you want to start reading the books.