Movie Review : ‘Crystalstone’ Sinks Under Leaden Directing
“Crystalstone” (citywide) is a kiddie movie so dull and plodding you haven’t the heart to wish it on any child. It is set in rural Spain in 1908, but all the actors, who are not dubbed, speak the Queen’s English.
No search for ancient treasure could be less fun, thanks to writer-director Antonio Pelaez’s leaden touch. Kamlesh Gupta and Laura Jane Goodwin are an orphaned brother and sister who run away from a severe aunt and come upon a mysterious old man who tells them the legend of an immense Aztec diamond and how it may be located.
What happens to the children should be adventures but they’re too trite and mechanical to engage even minimal interest. Gupta and Goodwin are sweet, but most of the adults contribute an unconscionable amount of awful acting. “Crystalstone” (rated PG, possibly for some graveyard scenes) has, however, been handsomely photographed in natural locales by John Stephens.--K. T.
Only good movies
Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
