jk-332

I can't believe I watched the whole thing. As attractive as Ricardo Montalban was at that age (very), as pretty as Lana Turner was (very), as fun as Louis Calhern and Jean Hagen were (very), it's still hard to watch when Lana Turner's character comes off as a spoiled baby, Ricardo plays an arrogant jerk who keeps pushing her around, and John Lund's character is just as arrogant and pushy, as well as smug. None of the three is anyone you want to watch or root for in a romantic relationship, and none of the three has motivations that make a lick of sense.

I hadn't heard a thing about this movie when it came out, but seeing Maggie Smith and Dominic West and Hugh Bonneville in the cast, I had to give it a try. I loved time travel books a lot when I was young and I wish I'd known about the book series this comes from, because it would've been perfect for me. I loved the look and the tone of the movie, with just enough adventure and mysteries to solve to keep me riveted. Yes, the tone is a bit somber at times, and I wasn't crazy about Alex Etel's performance as Tolly (he's fairly wooden), but it really moves well and there are enough other characters to focus on, so overall, I quite enjoyed it. Maggie Smith isn't as fun as she is on Downton Abbey, but few things are that amusing, after all. Dominic West, Pauline Collins, Hugh Bonneville, Timothy Spall and Harriet Walter are wonderful in smaller roles, while Eliza Bennett and Kwayedza Kureya, both new to me, are charming as the children in the Regency era. I also have to say that I loved the fashion in the past, with both Carice van Houten and Douglas Booth looking especially dishy in those clothes. I would say this is definitely a children's movie, but also good for adults who are children at heart (like me).