OK, I've seen much worse from Malcolm McDowell in recent times. This is no classic, it is in fact an "ok" kids movie. I think that's who it was aimed at... "kids". The story at the beginning was not "unintelligible, I understood it easily. The reason for the bamboos and palm trees in the English forest is because it was filmed in South Africa, but set on the Isle of Man, a small island in the Irish Sea between Ireland and Britain. The origin of the island is explained in the story at the beginning. Anyway, it will not strain your brain, but you also won't be enticed to run to your local video store to buy a copy. But the kids might like it.
13 Reviews
A bad sign when most of the action takes place while being read.
Aaron13753 November 2020
Was not sure what to expect when I watched this, but I was not expecting the greatest of films and it certainly lived up to those lofty expectations! A film where all the stuff that would have made a reasonably cool film are merely hinted at while we get to see the very mundane stuff. Yes, welcome to the world of extremely low budget family friendly fantasy!
The story, well grandma reads kids a story that is packed full of action from the sounds of it, but has no impact as we witness nothing and hear it all. The grandchildren look ready to pass out from boredom. Then a car speeds down the road as the kids and their parents are going to live in a village that looks like a movie set. Seriously, a faker looking town you could not find. They are unwanted guests as Malcolm McDowell assaults the two kids and warns of impending doom, while dad comes down with some sort of ailment that is going to kill them and there are faeries that the girl sees, but has little to no interaction with, but she trusts them implicitly.
It is always cool seeing Malcolm McDowell in a film, but not sure he is the right guy for this job. I mean, he acts his usual self scaring children and nearly knocking a fairy's head off with a shovel, but this is a family film, so those things seem out of place. Then there is Corbin who plays the role with no subtleness coughing to let us know something is wrong and then going ballistic when there may be gold on the property. The kids and mom do alright for a film of this type, sometimes getting a named actor just to get people to view your movie is not the right move.
So we get father and his kids working side by side in a dangerous mine where there is a hole that looks several hundred feet deep. A crazy lunatic that warns of death and bully children that were apparently chasing the son of the family...I seriously had no idea what the deal was with them until they yelled, "Get him!" It is just a very poor story with very strange shifts in plot and direction. Not the worst movie ever, but needed a lot of work to be considered okay.
The story, well grandma reads kids a story that is packed full of action from the sounds of it, but has no impact as we witness nothing and hear it all. The grandchildren look ready to pass out from boredom. Then a car speeds down the road as the kids and their parents are going to live in a village that looks like a movie set. Seriously, a faker looking town you could not find. They are unwanted guests as Malcolm McDowell assaults the two kids and warns of impending doom, while dad comes down with some sort of ailment that is going to kill them and there are faeries that the girl sees, but has little to no interaction with, but she trusts them implicitly.
It is always cool seeing Malcolm McDowell in a film, but not sure he is the right guy for this job. I mean, he acts his usual self scaring children and nearly knocking a fairy's head off with a shovel, but this is a family film, so those things seem out of place. Then there is Corbin who plays the role with no subtleness coughing to let us know something is wrong and then going ballistic when there may be gold on the property. The kids and mom do alright for a film of this type, sometimes getting a named actor just to get people to view your movie is not the right move.
So we get father and his kids working side by side in a dangerous mine where there is a hole that looks several hundred feet deep. A crazy lunatic that warns of death and bully children that were apparently chasing the son of the family...I seriously had no idea what the deal was with them until they yelled, "Get him!" It is just a very poor story with very strange shifts in plot and direction. Not the worst movie ever, but needed a lot of work to be considered okay.
Evie, You are so dumb
kingofdanerds15 December 2020
Well, what can I say. I watched The Fairy King of Ar (or also know as Beings). This film was released in 1998 as a direct to video film. It notably has Malcom McDowell in this film which begs the question. Is his performance one that would save this film? The answer is a hard no. For my viewing of this film, I watched it on the release where it is part of a crappy collection released by Echo Bridge called the 8 Family Movie Collection which is basically a collection of crappy family movies that literally nobody has heard of. This film was directed by a man named Paul Matthews who apparently has directed a fair share of fantasy movies and has only nine director credits to his name and even still was not active for the longest time until 2017 when he recieved a writers credit. Is this film a hidden gem and possibly one of the decent films that seem to pop up in these Echo Bridge collections? You already know the answer to that...
Kyle and Evie are being told a story about fairies and demons by their grandma. (I don't know I was not paying attention). Their grandma passes away and leaves a house and some land to Kyle and Evie and their parents. Apparently it is cursed or something and the locals want the family to leave. Oh and throw in the father being sick with something. (It is never specified). Apparently years ago, the locals trapped creatures in a gold mine located on the property. The kids believe that what is trapped in the mine could help their dad...
This. Movie. Blows. Though that should not come as a surprise for anyone. It is late 90s direct to video garbage. From the very beginning I was not invested in this film. First of all, it seems the story told in the beginning would have been far more interesting if that was the main story of the film. But since it is not, I don't even care about what even happens in the story. I could not even tell you what the story was even about. The whole story of this film also seems unfocused. I feel that at most times, the film is focused on the family and stuff (and honestly that is what some of it is, stuff). Then it very briefly focuses on the fairy stuff and the thing is, the film is watchable when the fairy stuff come on. I come here to watch a fairy film and when it does deliver the fairies, I am actually happy (but not that happy). The computer effects are PS1 graphics at best. I mean, this is a 1998 film so, I guess it works. Then again, you cannot expect much from a low budget direct to video film. You just cannot. The practical effects are worse. The makeup for the one main fairy we see is an absolute abomination. Just apply a thin layer of blue paint because that should do the trick. Speaking of the fairies, I have several questions. First, is their existance. It is like the question of whether or not Stewie Griffin can be heard or not. The fairies appear to have their existances to be known by everyone and then don't. But then again, when people do see them, the acting is so bad that when they "act surprised" it does not seem like a geniune reaction. As I already alluded to, Malcom McDowell does not save this film at all. He honestly does not do well in this film and I honestly do not blame him. So when I find out that Malcom McDowell stars in this crappy film, I am happy that an experienced actor is in a crappy film. Then again, WHAT THE HELL MALCOM MCDOWELL?!?!?! I love how this little town has a group of bullies that only appear once and that one time is only for a minute at the most and they do not have any huge lines.
The Fairy King of Ar is just what one would expect out of a low budget fantasy film that sucks. It is unintentionally funny due to it's execution of literally everything. But it is far from being the worst movie I have seen. I only give it three stars because I know there are going to be far worse movies in this collection that this movie appeared in. It is completely harmless to watch as one will most likely soon forget that they even watched it.
Kyle and Evie are being told a story about fairies and demons by their grandma. (I don't know I was not paying attention). Their grandma passes away and leaves a house and some land to Kyle and Evie and their parents. Apparently it is cursed or something and the locals want the family to leave. Oh and throw in the father being sick with something. (It is never specified). Apparently years ago, the locals trapped creatures in a gold mine located on the property. The kids believe that what is trapped in the mine could help their dad...
This. Movie. Blows. Though that should not come as a surprise for anyone. It is late 90s direct to video garbage. From the very beginning I was not invested in this film. First of all, it seems the story told in the beginning would have been far more interesting if that was the main story of the film. But since it is not, I don't even care about what even happens in the story. I could not even tell you what the story was even about. The whole story of this film also seems unfocused. I feel that at most times, the film is focused on the family and stuff (and honestly that is what some of it is, stuff). Then it very briefly focuses on the fairy stuff and the thing is, the film is watchable when the fairy stuff come on. I come here to watch a fairy film and when it does deliver the fairies, I am actually happy (but not that happy). The computer effects are PS1 graphics at best. I mean, this is a 1998 film so, I guess it works. Then again, you cannot expect much from a low budget direct to video film. You just cannot. The practical effects are worse. The makeup for the one main fairy we see is an absolute abomination. Just apply a thin layer of blue paint because that should do the trick. Speaking of the fairies, I have several questions. First, is their existance. It is like the question of whether or not Stewie Griffin can be heard or not. The fairies appear to have their existances to be known by everyone and then don't. But then again, when people do see them, the acting is so bad that when they "act surprised" it does not seem like a geniune reaction. As I already alluded to, Malcom McDowell does not save this film at all. He honestly does not do well in this film and I honestly do not blame him. So when I find out that Malcom McDowell stars in this crappy film, I am happy that an experienced actor is in a crappy film. Then again, WHAT THE HELL MALCOM MCDOWELL?!?!?! I love how this little town has a group of bullies that only appear once and that one time is only for a minute at the most and they do not have any huge lines.
The Fairy King of Ar is just what one would expect out of a low budget fantasy film that sucks. It is unintentionally funny due to it's execution of literally everything. But it is far from being the worst movie I have seen. I only give it three stars because I know there are going to be far worse movies in this collection that this movie appeared in. It is completely harmless to watch as one will most likely soon forget that they even watched it.
Amazingly bad script will delight no one
DrGrood6 August 2002
Warning: Spoilers
This absolutely dreadful film is released on videotape as THE FAIRY KING OF AR. A textbook example of how not to tell a story, the script suffers from a complete lack of direction or central conflict, and was obviously written by people who believe a "film for children" should not be damaged by the inclusion of a plot. There is absolutely no problem in this story to be solved, so the characters wander about as directed by the scriptwriters, occasionally expressing concern over the immediate situation they're in, then relief when whatever they're supposed to be worried about has quickly removed itself from the scene, so as not to perpetuate any sort of problem which might result in interest by the viewer.
Malcolm McDowell is a relative of Dad, Mom, and their two kids who have inherited a gold mine in Ireland. McDowell is supposed to be scary, because the scriptwriter says so, but since his character doesn't do anything, he isn't. The family immediately and without any effort finds the lost gold mine, which is supposed to contain fairies, who have been introduced in a coompletely unintelligible introductory story told by Grandma, and indeed a young girl with funny hair painted blue does fly onto the scene to represent one of these magical creatures. She, however, doesn't do anything either, after she arrives, so the result of her appearance is that we don't give a flying fig about fairies at all. At this point, since no one else is doing anything, Dad decides to come down with an fatal illness which apparently has no name or symptoms. We don't care about this either, despite histrionics by the children, as encouraged by the director ("Why?? Why??"). After the family digs in the mine for a while, the fairies, big guys with blue latex faces and plastic eyes (?) are released, and one of them, apparently the story's title character, cures Dad's mystery illness, then promptly walks away without interacting with anyone else at all. And at this point, anyone who is still watching this will want to throw something at the TV because they've paid whatever they've paid for this video and gotten absolutely nothing in return.
At no time is this film's amazing deadness intruded upon by anything even remotely interesting. It is an amazing exercise in missing or even deliberately ducking away from any sort of point, a true dirty trick on anyone who has the ill luck to watch it. It is beyond bad; it's nonexistent, and so is not recommended for adults, children, or elves.
Malcolm McDowell is a relative of Dad, Mom, and their two kids who have inherited a gold mine in Ireland. McDowell is supposed to be scary, because the scriptwriter says so, but since his character doesn't do anything, he isn't. The family immediately and without any effort finds the lost gold mine, which is supposed to contain fairies, who have been introduced in a coompletely unintelligible introductory story told by Grandma, and indeed a young girl with funny hair painted blue does fly onto the scene to represent one of these magical creatures. She, however, doesn't do anything either, after she arrives, so the result of her appearance is that we don't give a flying fig about fairies at all. At this point, since no one else is doing anything, Dad decides to come down with an fatal illness which apparently has no name or symptoms. We don't care about this either, despite histrionics by the children, as encouraged by the director ("Why?? Why??"). After the family digs in the mine for a while, the fairies, big guys with blue latex faces and plastic eyes (?) are released, and one of them, apparently the story's title character, cures Dad's mystery illness, then promptly walks away without interacting with anyone else at all. And at this point, anyone who is still watching this will want to throw something at the TV because they've paid whatever they've paid for this video and gotten absolutely nothing in return.
At no time is this film's amazing deadness intruded upon by anything even remotely interesting. It is an amazing exercise in missing or even deliberately ducking away from any sort of point, a true dirty trick on anyone who has the ill luck to watch it. It is beyond bad; it's nonexistent, and so is not recommended for adults, children, or elves.
Absolutely horrid.
kitsa15 August 2002
I thought that I would enjoy the movie because it featured Malcolm McDowell, one of my favorite actors. I was quite wrong. I would never believe that so good an actor could be so tainted by the surrounding cast.
Aside from the horrible production quality (boom mic dipping down in the opening scene, BAMBOO AND PALM TREES in the "english forest"), the plot is subtle as a mack truck and the whole thing is stupid beyond words. Some of the characters even drift in and out of their accents.
I kept hoping that at some point, McDowell's character would kill and eat the family to liven things up. Never happened. Oh, Malcolm, how could you?
Aside from the horrible production quality (boom mic dipping down in the opening scene, BAMBOO AND PALM TREES in the "english forest"), the plot is subtle as a mack truck and the whole thing is stupid beyond words. Some of the characters even drift in and out of their accents.
I kept hoping that at some point, McDowell's character would kill and eat the family to liven things up. Never happened. Oh, Malcolm, how could you?
Too old for this
ozma-7024730 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I'm only writing this review because me and my husband found the movie on youtube and while it's certainly nothing we'd watch again we thought we'd have both loved it as children. But the comment field was full of grown ups like us positively gushing about the movie!! People in their forties, fifties, sixties - definitely people old enough to knw better praised the movie's "message", special effects, acting - you name it.
I don't want anyone to make the mistake of thinking this is a good movie. The reason I would have loved it as a child and the reason I can recommend it to certain (by no means all!) other children is that it's a fairy tale and as such leaves a lot to the viewer's own imagination. If your child is into fairy tales, they'll probably gobble it up - I know I would have.
But honestly, there's nothing about this movie that is really done well, and it's full of horrible stereotypes. To begin with, we have the very tiresome setup with an American family who settles down in "the old world". The "old world" is strangely enough inhabited by Americans in old fashioned clothes and with dubious accents and terrible attitudes towards newcomers. The American family of course fight against old world superstitions and are of course right in everything. Heck, we all know British people would happily let a child die in a caved in mine because the mine is peopled by demons - thank heavens the world has Americans, who care more about children than about their old superstitions. Sigh. And of course, when the father is shown to have a terminal illness he is recommended by the local doctors to go back to the states, where they are better equipped for situations like these. Yep, put this seriously ill man on a transatlantic flight back to the country with astronomical costs for healthcare, seems sensible.
The make up and special effects were ... interesting. Looks like a school project, with blotchy uneven blue and green body paint on the fairies, and the less said about the goblins the better. That said, I actually liked the general look of the creatures a lot, it's just that the concept has been very badly carried out.
The story is badly paced and very silly seen with an adult's eyes, and while I don't think the acting is directly bad, none of the actors get to shine either. Again, it feels like somebody's school project.
I don't mind that the movie is set on Isle of Man but filmed in south Africa, but a lot of short cuts were clearly taken because of this, shortcuts that make the movie worse than it could have been. We get no views of the surroundings, no visual introduction to the little town, just scenes from the hospital and a very un-British looking little store and weird claustrophobic shots of the forest - clearly the reason for these choices is to somehow keep up the pretense that this is the Isle of Man, not South Africa, but it doesn't really work, at least not for an adult viewer.
I suppose what it all boils down to is this: I, personally, outgrew this movie many decades ago. If you're older than twelve, you should be old enough to see how tacky and amateurish this movie is in every respect and unless you really love fairy tales you probably won't like it.
I don't want anyone to make the mistake of thinking this is a good movie. The reason I would have loved it as a child and the reason I can recommend it to certain (by no means all!) other children is that it's a fairy tale and as such leaves a lot to the viewer's own imagination. If your child is into fairy tales, they'll probably gobble it up - I know I would have.
But honestly, there's nothing about this movie that is really done well, and it's full of horrible stereotypes. To begin with, we have the very tiresome setup with an American family who settles down in "the old world". The "old world" is strangely enough inhabited by Americans in old fashioned clothes and with dubious accents and terrible attitudes towards newcomers. The American family of course fight against old world superstitions and are of course right in everything. Heck, we all know British people would happily let a child die in a caved in mine because the mine is peopled by demons - thank heavens the world has Americans, who care more about children than about their old superstitions. Sigh. And of course, when the father is shown to have a terminal illness he is recommended by the local doctors to go back to the states, where they are better equipped for situations like these. Yep, put this seriously ill man on a transatlantic flight back to the country with astronomical costs for healthcare, seems sensible.
The make up and special effects were ... interesting. Looks like a school project, with blotchy uneven blue and green body paint on the fairies, and the less said about the goblins the better. That said, I actually liked the general look of the creatures a lot, it's just that the concept has been very badly carried out.
The story is badly paced and very silly seen with an adult's eyes, and while I don't think the acting is directly bad, none of the actors get to shine either. Again, it feels like somebody's school project.
I don't mind that the movie is set on Isle of Man but filmed in south Africa, but a lot of short cuts were clearly taken because of this, shortcuts that make the movie worse than it could have been. We get no views of the surroundings, no visual introduction to the little town, just scenes from the hospital and a very un-British looking little store and weird claustrophobic shots of the forest - clearly the reason for these choices is to somehow keep up the pretense that this is the Isle of Man, not South Africa, but it doesn't really work, at least not for an adult viewer.
I suppose what it all boils down to is this: I, personally, outgrew this movie many decades ago. If you're older than twelve, you should be old enough to see how tacky and amateurish this movie is in every respect and unless you really love fairy tales you probably won't like it.
Amateur
junk-monkey26 September 2008
I would guess one of the dreadful things about being an actor is that you can't ever take your name off your work. Directors can hide behind pseudonyms, producers can blame the director, and everyone else can throw up their hands and blame everyone else for letting them down. The actors however are stuck there up there, on screen for all the world to see, unable to hide from the awfulness that surrounds them. And this movie is awful.
Most of the blame lies with the direction - not that there appears to have been any, and a script that may well have been, judging from what arrives on the screen, little more than a rough outline, semi-improvised by the actors as they were shooting. The whole thing looks like it was shot in single, unrehearsed takes with no one having bothered to tell the cast and the few background artists what was going on or what they were supposed to be doing.
In short it looks like an amateur production and I can't begin to guess at the behind the scenes events that left reliably professional jobbing actors like Corbin Bernsen*, Glynis Barber, and Malcolm McDowell so helplessly adrift; I occasionally work with youth drama groups and have seen more conviction from bored High School kids than is on display here. Still, I guess the principals all got a nice holiday in South Africa out of it - though I don't suppose anyone involved in this turd will be including any part of it in their show reels.
Having said all that my hyper-imaginative, six year old, fairy loving daughter was hooked throughout and genuinely terrified during the 'climactic' trapped-in-the-mine sequence, and even my four year old got 'the message'.
*Bernsen also has to suffer the indignity of most incredibly underwritten, non-specific terminal disease in the history of movies since the Production Code of the thirties prevented anyone from mentioning the clap.
Most of the blame lies with the direction - not that there appears to have been any, and a script that may well have been, judging from what arrives on the screen, little more than a rough outline, semi-improvised by the actors as they were shooting. The whole thing looks like it was shot in single, unrehearsed takes with no one having bothered to tell the cast and the few background artists what was going on or what they were supposed to be doing.
In short it looks like an amateur production and I can't begin to guess at the behind the scenes events that left reliably professional jobbing actors like Corbin Bernsen*, Glynis Barber, and Malcolm McDowell so helplessly adrift; I occasionally work with youth drama groups and have seen more conviction from bored High School kids than is on display here. Still, I guess the principals all got a nice holiday in South Africa out of it - though I don't suppose anyone involved in this turd will be including any part of it in their show reels.
Having said all that my hyper-imaginative, six year old, fairy loving daughter was hooked throughout and genuinely terrified during the 'climactic' trapped-in-the-mine sequence, and even my four year old got 'the message'.
*Bernsen also has to suffer the indignity of most incredibly underwritten, non-specific terminal disease in the history of movies since the Production Code of the thirties prevented anyone from mentioning the clap.
The worst movie ever!!!
lilimon22 May 2001
Unbelievable lame production, worst special effects and horrible story line, the worst by far of any pictures I have ever seen. If you need a reference for lame, this is it!!!! Malcolm McDowell and Corbin Bernstein should really erase this from their portfolio!!!
Fairy tale about elves
mamarieken5 February 2006
Maybe people do not like this movie, but my 10-year old son really likes it and has already seen it a few times, each time commenting on it and telling me about it endlessly. Although the story might be slightly lame and predictable, it is a regular feel good movie with lots of slightly moralistic moments, it is better then many other movies in the same genre I've seen. The storyline is indeed thin but since it is a fairy tale, that is part of the fun. The children act well, there is enough suspense in the air to stay interested for the whole time and in the end things do not seem what they looked like. In short, a family movie, well fitted for dreamers like my children.
More of a Childrens Movie
calm1 March 2003
I read the first comments on this movie and thought they were too harsh. This is obviously a children's movie that sends a pretty powerful message. A town of frightened folks stays head-strong in their beliefs because they are afraid. It's a fairy-tale, so that means anything goes because it's all made up. The special effects were better than most for its time. Compared to the computer generated movies I've seen in 2001, this is every bit as good. The plot is about a father who is dieing, his kids, who believe in the fairy legend that could save him, and a wife who doesn't believe in anything. It's interesting to see the family come together in an effort to save dad and teach the town a lesson. I think you'll be entertained and some emotions will definitely get stirred about.
A Very Fairy After School Special
kaoskitten11 August 2006
This movie is not about special effects or dialogue or script writing or even acting. This movie is about belief: Belief in yourself, in others, in the healing power of faith and the power of good.
Just like the after school specials of yore, this movie is an ingenious way to facilitate the continued growth of children's' faith in humanity and mankind. It helps open adults' eyes to what children take for granted.
If you want a striking movie with superb acting and state-of-the-art special effects, then this movie is not for you. However, if you love fairies and you Believe in the Goodness Within, this movie should have a special place in your collection.
I know my children will watch this movie when the time comes.
Just like the after school specials of yore, this movie is an ingenious way to facilitate the continued growth of children's' faith in humanity and mankind. It helps open adults' eyes to what children take for granted.
If you want a striking movie with superb acting and state-of-the-art special effects, then this movie is not for you. However, if you love fairies and you Believe in the Goodness Within, this movie should have a special place in your collection.
I know my children will watch this movie when the time comes.
An Excellent Movie
sarah-hulme20 January 2003
I watched 'The Fairy King Of Ar' and thought it was a good movie to be watched by all the family!
I like the idea of the story line and the special effects were very good!
All in all it was a well Directed family movie!
I like the idea of the story line and the special effects were very good!
All in all it was a well Directed family movie!
Fairies light up the screen in this minor but lovely family film
inkblot113 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Rob (Corbin Bernsen), an American, and his British-born wife, Nancy (Glynis Barber) make a trip to the Isle of Man, with their two children, Kyle and Evey. This is because the family has inherited a beautiful old house from Nancy's grandmother. Yet, from the minute they arrive and announce their intent to stay, the village is aghast. This property has a legend of demons, stuck in a mine, and no one should consider making it a home. Nonsense, says Rob, even though a nearby gardener (Malcolm McDowell) warns him to pack his bags and go. Yet, the children love the place, especially the huge amount of large fireflies that flicker her and there, day and night. Its Evey who discovers they are not insects, but beautiful fairies and they confide their secrets to her alone. Rather than demons being stuck in the mine, its their fairy king and other small magical beings. Since the mine was a gold one, Rob and company start to dig into it. Alas, things do go wrong and Rob gets a strange illness. Yet, how can they stop when the fairies need their king? This minor but lovely film has the most gorgeous setting on the Isle. In addition, the fairies are the star attraction, imagined with the very fine special effects. The cast is nice and the story a crowd pleasing gem. So, sit like a king, queen, prince, or princess on your favorite sofa and watch the magic unfold.
See also
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