Dir. Nick Moore, 2011, UK, 90 mins
Cast. Theo Stevenson, Siobhan Hayes, Mathew Horne, Anjelica Huston, Rebecca Front, Richard E Grant, Parminder Nagra, Jo Brand, Kimberley Walsh, Dick and Dom
By Michelle Moore
Horrid Henry began back in 1994 when the first book created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross was published. Since then the character has appeared in several more books as well as a popular television series and this year Horrid Henry take to the big screen in his first movie adaptation.
Henry (Stevenson) is not a lover of school. He fails to hand in the majority (if not all) of his homework and spends most of his time mucking around and getting into trouble. However when he discovers his school is in danger of being shut down because of a rival headmaster (Grant), he forms a temporary alliance with Moody Margaret and his younger brother Perfect Peter (Ross Marron) and leads them, along with members of the Purple Hand Gang, into taking matters into their own hands to prevent the school from closing.
Just like the television series and books, the movie personifies Henry as a “horrid” child, a term often used by the people around him. He hates vegetables and school dinners, which is something taken into consideration during the game show scene in the movie, as well as his dislike of getting up in the morning, although when he makes an attempt at singing rock music it’s not at all bad. Other characters include Perfect Peter, the goody two shoes and snitch, who is basically the complete opposite of Henry and Moody Margaret, a not so friendly girl who runs a secret club in her back garden, much like Henry’s own Purple Hand Club. Despite the conflict between Margaret and Henry though, they conclude this film on a positive note.
Although these three characters are the most dominant, the movie also introduces personalities such as Jo Brand, Kimberley Walsh and Noel Fielding in several small scenes. Probably the two most well known faces are Richard E Grant as the appalling rival headmaster and Anjelica Huston as Henry’s teacher. Unless you are 8 years old, in which case it will be Dick and Dom who, in their game show, look quite terrifying and could easily be mistaken for extras on a horror movie set rather than a children’s film.
There has been an abundance of 3D movies released over the last year. Some have been aimed at an adult audience such as Drive Angry, but the majority have been aimed at a younger audience – Rio, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Mars Needs Moms. Horrid Henry is though the first British family comedy film for children to be shot in 3D. Unfortunately, the 3D effect is pointless, and fails to be effective in making the film pop out at the audience. It is a disappointment that the only real scene to do this was Henry’s purple hand in the concluding shot.
It seems because 3D films are so popular, everyone is jumping onto the bandwagon. However, there have only been a few true successes such as Sanctum and Fly Me To The Moon. Just because a movie can be made in 3D, doesn’t mean that it should be. Unless there are scenes that will actually fly towards a viewer and make them blink or squirm, which this movie doesn’t have, then attempting 3D should be left alone. 3D aside though, for a British live action movie Horrid Henry is enjoyable, quite funny and worth a watch, if only to see the freakish appearance of children’s television presenters Dick and Dom.
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