From Time to Time

Heartfelt family drama with ghosts and scary fire scene.

a reminder of how enchanting a fantasy can still be if not taking over by digital imagery, if it has a few interesting characters and a few nice touches of plotting

Has there been a movie with such an artificial and unengaging style since... well, the fifties?

Movies are supposed to whisk you away, to make you get lost in their stories. I never got lost in From Time to Time because I was continually aware of the pieces being assembled before me.

This family film - that mixes Regency ghosts and a rambling, secret-filled mansion - lacks oomph and charm despite its top shelf cast, including Maggie Smith and Timothy Spall.

The biggest problem standing in the way of the film's success is that it is neither a full-on family film nor a grown up drama - and the ending is both sombre and flat.

Casts a magical spell by the touching conclusion.