Sorting through the DVDs that end up for sale in cheapy poundshops can be an elightening experience and, sometimes, you can come up with a boy film gem .. but only sometimes. Dalton Mugridge, a cute Canadian boy actor who incidentally, is not listed on BA, stars in a 'film for the family' called 'The Mystical Adventures of Billy Owens'. It is when viewing films such as these that you appreciate the skill of a competent director.
Billy is a boy living in a little Canadian town who acquires magical powers through a magical wand. But Harry Potter he ain't. While some of the special effects are passable others are downright cheap and cheesey! There are mythical creatures and haunted caves but the scenes are disjointed and sometimes the actors words are drowned out by extraneous noises. The whole thing comes across as very amateur, lacks cohesion and proves the director, Mark MacNabb, needs to go back to director's school.
There are all the makings of a good film except it is marred by poor acting and bad character development. The girl actor playing Mandy, Billy's friend, comes over the best though Mandy is an insufferable bore always quoting facts and figures whom any normal boy would drop like the proverbial sack of potatoes. Then, just when you think things couldn't get worse, the legend 'to be continued' comes up at the end! Jeez, not only do you have to watch this rubbish but there are sequels apparently as though the director is completely oblivious to having made one bummer already.
I give 'Billy Owens' 3 stars but only because cute Dalton Mugridge is in it. Anybody else had the misfortune to see this dire excuse for a kiddy film? Help!