An adaptation of Susan Cooper’s series of novels, this is an overstuffed yet uninspired pastiche of fantasy elements. A 14-year-old American boy living in England (Alexander Ludwig) encounters strange magic, new worlds and time travel, yet it all feels familiar and routine. Ludwig makes for a bland hero and director David L. Cunningham doesn’t let a scene go by without tilting his camera in an ostentatious attempt to convey a world askew. Blame Harry Potter.
