The Secret Kingdom (2023) Film Review
Matt Drummond‘s The Secret Kingdom is one of those films that pull you in slowly and ultimately capture you to make you part of its magnetic and unique storyline. I have to admit the similarities between this and big studio fantasy franchises kind of brought me down a little because I’m not a fan of the genre and finding good fantasy films is a challenge today. Fortunately, when this one really starts it becomes a compelling adventure that made me smile more than a few times and it made change my mind. The Secret Kingdom is a good adventure film that yes, relies heavily on its technical aspect, but the story and characters are solidly written by someone who knows his boundaries.
I will be vague. On purpose. The Secret Kingdom tells the story of a brother and sister who find a hidden world underneath a bed in their new home. The boy suffers from a condition that could be caused by trauma (that I won’t reveal because it’s very important for the plot), and his little sister is a jolly force of nature. When they fall down the rabbit hole they enter a world of underground beings that live under the shadow of a horrible villain called The Shroud. But they actually believe in a prophecy where both the children play an important part. When the boy begins to be called “your majesty”, then you will notice where things are going. They will be responsible for saving themselves and the whole world that’s crumbling beneath their feet.
The first act in The Secret Kingdom is kind of flimsy and doesn’t hold up well. Curiously, there’s a reason for this and you may well discover it late in the film but when you do, everything makes sense. Drummond’s writing skills are clever enough to make you see early what kind of film this is, and how it was made. The fantasy element is key to the plot and it’s essential to make the film a family-friendly one. The voice performances and the special effects are impressively well-done, but they don’t feel like invasive elements that could make Drummond’s film experimental or amateurish. The Secret Kingdom could proudly stand alongside some of its bigger (and better) peers. It’s only a matter of time until he can improve on his directorial skills and we see him again in the fantasy world.
Some of the plot could be a little confusing for small children, and this is a film that’s aimed at them as well. Drummond balances this with a risky absence of the counterpart. The Shroud makes only a few appearances in the film, but this makes it a little less dangerous than it could be (and what the trailer actually made me think). In the end, the presence of that entity is strong enough, but I would have loved to see more of it.
The twist in the end is fantastic, and it makes for a good dramatic knob that takes Drummond’s feature one step higher in its scale. The Secret Kingdom is a very good business presentation for a VFX specialist who decided to make a film using what he knows a lot about. The result is more than decent storywise, and yes, special effects are excellent. You will have fun, not before getting your heart broken and then cured by an adorable sibling relationship.
