I’d read a few bad reviews of this prior to seeing it.¹ It doesn’t quite live up to expectations—it’s formulaic and predictable—but it has its moments of charm and grace. The story is really about Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) fulfilling her destiny while Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) and the Emporium take supporting roles. I wish that more time had been spent developing the characters of The Mutant and Mr. Magorium. The film fell short in a few areas because I just didn’t care enough about the supporting cast. The kids liked it. I must admit it tickled me whenever Henry was called “mutant.”

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (Netflix)