Horrid Henry: The Movie (2011) User Reviews

a waste of the talent as its disposal

[lamagia_uk · 4/10 · 5 August 2011]

I took my 8 and 6 year old children. My 8 year old is usually quite forgiving of a bad film if she has popcorn. We watch and enjoy a lot of children's films - this was the worst for a long time, since Space Chimps probably, and made worse by that it could have been so much better with a little craft to its direction. And from a director with so much experience as an Editor, it was really badly edited.

My 6 year old thought it was OK, but there lies the problem - the film is obviously aimed, in its semi-high-school American 'teen rock' music pretensions, at a much older audience. A porous plot, even to an 8 year old, and the embarrassing potential of the cast falls extremely flat. Mathew Horne seems only to have two expressions in his repertoire and is in extreme danger of having a bit part comedy career fade fast. Anjelica Huston's Scottish accent was insulting and embarrassing - like a sheltered American impersonating Mrs Doubtfire. Horrid Henry clean cut and Americanised, really wasn't very menacing at all. I was surprised we were spared the sentimental 'son, I got it all wrong but I will always love you' ending: it would have completed the American airbrushing.

Not quite horrid, but a real disappointment

[TheLittleSongbird · 3/10 · 25 August 2011]

I love the books and the TV series, and although I was very dubious of seeing Horrid Henry:The Movie, especially after hearing it had 3D and Dick and Dom, part of me was eager to see it. So I did, expecting an entertaining enough movie on its own terms.

What I got was a real disappointment. It wasn't horrid, but overall it was the weakest films I've seen so far this year and one of the most disappointing. The only good things for me were Theo Stevenson's spirited performance and the jaunty soundtrack.

Firstly I didn't like how the film looked. It was certainly colourful but also in a sense over-saturated. Horrid Henry:The Movie was quite badly edited as well, constantly it felt very awkward and rushed.

The costumes are also rather cartoony in style. I wasn't happy that Horrid Henry:The Movie would have 3D effects, I frankly didn't think it needed it, and after seeing I still wasn't happy. I still think they were unnecessary, and the lack of clarity and sharpness in the effects themselves cheapened the film for me.

The story was another minus, overall I found it very rushed and predictable with little of the charm and simplicity that the books and TV series had. The only thing I liked about the story was the lack of the over-sentimental(or it can be) "I love you son" sort of ending.

The writing was messy, the dialogue is often weak and the laughs feel forced. When I saw it the closest the audience came to laughing were a couple of barely audible giggles. Kids either had a sort of amused expression or a sense they weren't sure whether they were supposed to laugh but a lot of adults looked as though they wished they had a triple detention instead.

The cast are talented, but at least to me the film just seemed like an excuse to bring in as many British or TV personalities as possible. Many of them try hard and overdo it, Richard E.Grant definitely applies here, or are wasted, Jo Brand, or don't try, Matthew Horne.

I know they deliberately exaggerated Miss Lovely's character, or so it seemed, but the characterisation was a little too over-eager and sugary for my tastes. Anjelica Huston fares better, she is a wonderful actress and while she overdoes the accent she clearly seems to be enjoying herself. If I had to ask myself what was the most painful bit about this movie? I'd say aside from the poor writing and the unnecessary 3D, it has to be the abysmally unfunny appearance of Dick and Dom.

All in all, a real disappointment. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Don't Be Horrid Henry!

[BrnzReviews · 5/10 · 22 May 2021]

This movie was made for my childhood, well it didn't come out until I had grown up but this is just as good. The movie itself isn't amazing but it was great to see them imagining the characters from the show in human form.

I dont think it was terrible but it wasn't amazing either, I'd say this is one of them average movies that you'll watch once or twice and then leave it at that. I was always a massive Horrid Henry fan so I wasnt best pleased with how this movie was, it did feel a little rushed even though nobody announced the movie , so I think its safe to say I'll be giving it a 5/10, it deserves more than 3 that is just poor, these critics got no chill.

I wouldn't highly recommend it but I would say check it out, you might like it, more for kids now than someone of my age.

In one word this movie is: Terrible. (I'm not using a horrid pun)

[TheSeaLion · 1/10 · 20 June 2014]

There are three kinds of movies that I really can't stand. One is a movie that is style over substance with no attempt made at adding substance, two is a movie that is completely pretentious, and three are children's movies that think children are completely stupid so they don't try. In case you haven't guessed, "Horrid Henry: The Movie" fits in with the third category. "Horrid Henry" is a move that does not know what it's about and relies on all sorts of things to keep the audience's attention.

The annoying thing about "Horrid Henry" is that the movie has a million different things going on in it, and still almost nothing happens within the whole movie. the principal of a private school (Richard E. Grant) bribes two school inspectors (Metin and Timur Ahmet) to purposely fail a public school in order to get the student's parents to have to pay to send their kids to the private school. This has happened to several schools already and now the school that Henry goes to is the next domino to fall. Henry and a group of other students, including his arch nemesis Moody Margret (Scarlett Stitt) and his brother Perfect Peter (Ross Marron) join forces to save the school.

The movie loses focus on what it is trying to do about halfway through the movie when Henry is sent to a girl's school by his rich aunt (Helen Lederer) because she thinks he's a girl. There, he runs into Moody Margaret, and this part is supposed to be used to show they hate the girls school and decide to join forces together to save their school so they don't have to go to the girl's school. This part of the movie goes on for at least fifteen minutes, serves very little purpose to the movie other than to add some terrible attempts at comedy and lengthen the movie with something that could be done in five minutes.

The character of Henry (Theo Stevenson) is given two side-stories that tie into the movie, yet don't lead anywhere. Henry says he wants to be a musical sensation, but halfway through the movie that is dropped. Then, he has an arc where he learned how to spell 'homework' and it looks like he's taking school seriously now, but then it turns out he isn't. While he and his team do manage to save the school from closing, everything is back to the way it was at the beginning of the film other than the principal of the other school and the inspectors are arrested. No characters change and there is no lingering effects from the event.

The film throws so many visuals at you that it becomes headache-inducing and even starts to make the movie slip towards that style over substance junk that I hate so much. There are a number of graphics and visual effects in the movie that make no sense and add nothing to the plot, like when Margaret throws a water balloon at Henry, there is a random sequence of him dodging the balloon using random graphics, but it adds nothing to the story.

With a story that goes every which way without any real reason for it, dumb graphic effects, an unlikable protagonist, and a mess of a script, "Horrid Henry" The Movie" is not only a terrible movie, it is intelligence insulting and just leaves you feeling tired and depressed after watching it. With so little a plot to follow and zero pacing to the story, this 93 minute piece of garbage feels like it's two and a half hours long.

Take the Henry out of the title..you have the movie..

[FlashCallahan · 1/10 · 14 December 2011]

When Henry fails yet again to hand in his homework for the umpteenth time, he has no idea that this will set off a chain of events which will see him forming an unlikely alliance with Moody Margaret, the infuriating girl next door, and his irritating little brother Perfect Peter.

Together, they outwit corrupt School Inspectors and toppling an evil Headmaster, winning a talent contest and facing his ultimate nemesis with no way out - all because he is trying to save the very school which he has always professed to hate!

Take most of Britains talent, give them an awful script and some cringe inducing acts to do, and you have this poor excuse of a movie.

My daughter loves the animated series, but she really got fed up after the second act. It's a travesty to see such talent look so awkward with the little that they are given.

And I though E. Grant was hamming it up in Hudson Hawk! He really takes the biscuit in this.

The best thing about this is Huston, giving it her all in such a mess.

I Hate Saying This About Movies

[jami429 · 2/10 · 29 August 2011]

England's very first Kids 3D film turned out to be Horrid Henry The Movie. The Horrid Henry books became a big success in the UK alone. They created an animated series in 2006 and now they have created a movie in 2011.

I am a fan of the Horrid Henry books. I also thought the series wasn't too bad either. Then when the film came out I thought it would be good to go and see it.

The characters looked great. But the way the actors performed them was very disappointing. I would call this bad acting. The way they performed each role was very poor. Each one did look like the characters in the books and series, but most of them didn't feel like it was the characters you know in the books. The actual plot was poor as well. It felt like a plot that you would see in an episode of the cartoon series. They could have thought of something much better than what they chose.

I would say that there was one actor in this that did fit the part of her character. That person is Anjelica Huston who played the part of Miss Battleaxe. She really did play the part of Miss Battleaxe really well. She was only on for a few scenes and I think she needed to be in this film a bit longer than she was.

I would not say this is a family film. I would say this is just for kids younger than 8. It might be more entertaining for them than it is for anyone older. It was very disappointing for me; it was actually an insult to the books. I hate saying stuff like that about movies, but I'm afraid I had to say it.

Written By Jamie Foster

OK Type Of Film

[wyatt402 · 2/10 · 16 August 2011]

This film was alright!

I saw this a couple of days ago because my little brother wanted to see it. It was one of the worst films I've ever seen, I mean I'll admit I laughed a couple of times as some bits in the film were quite cleverly made, but over all I was pretty disappointed! I've read nearly all the books and they are are amazing! Then came the T.V show that was pretty good, and then came the film that thoroughly disappointed me! I thought Dick and Dom could have played a better part, but still they were pretty funny. Basically all the other characters (in my opinion) didn't play a very good part. I thought some parts very unrealistic like when Henry threw the water balloon at Margret. Disappointing, but younger children will love it!

A jolly film where the British cast are having an infectious good time

[cjc3159 · 2 August 2011]

Without laughing out loud at any time, actually two barely audible giggles, I enjoyed this film. Not least because there is something like a story at the heart of it.

Stuffed with top notch British acting talent all of whom have a good time exaggerating their own stereotype, 'Horrid Henry: the movie' is a pleasure to watch. All the adult roles are drawn as cartoon caricatures and faintly repulsive with it, even the delightful Miss Lovely is an overdrawn figure of loveliness. Personally I found the Dick and Dom take on scary syncopated kids TV presenters a little too close to the spooky for comfort, but they're a bit like that anyway.

The children in the story get on with sorting out the adult mess in the usual manner of child drama, and because there is a story proceedings move along nicely. The 'fantasy' scenes are well done, with a couple of nice jokes at the expense of CGI trickery.

All in all good stuff and I recommend it for fans of Horrid Henry whether they come by book, audio book or the TV cartoon series.

While the kids in the audience enjoyed it, you may feel as I did that all this good time fun doesn't quite get into the wow territory the film is clearly striving for. But don't let that worry you, we don't need another blockbuster just yet. Na na ne na na na.

One of the worst films I've ever experienced.

[Ctg3-810-980101 · 1/10 · 5 October 2013]

As an adult, watching this film for me was painful on every level imaginable. I like kids films and was looking forward to a nice evening with my 6 yr old daughter watching a good film, unfortunately that film turned out to be Horrid Henry.

After 10 minutes I had to leave the couch and find something else to do but even this I found impossible as the film is pure noise pollution.

In brief, the film is clichéd, annoying, smug, repetitive, it thinks it is a pop video most of the way through as you are treated to a never ending barrage of dire song after dire song.

I signed up with IMDb purely to rate this film as it has put me in a bad mood, it's that bad.

Awful awful awful film

[townsend-s · 1/10 · 10 February 2012]

I felt so strongly about how bad this film was that I actually joined this site to warn others about what an absolute hateful steaming pile of awfulness this film is,I took my daughters 4/10 to watch this and it actually made me feel nauseous whilst watching it.The child is awful the story is awful about the only saving grace is Angelica who

is pretty accurate in her depiction of 'miss battleaxe'.I can't even rationalize how much I hated this....that said my daughters loved it although that was probably down to Dick and Dom,that said I even found them supremely annoying( that coming from someone that used to watch 'da bungalow' religiously)

Basically this is a warning to fathers everywhere,do not rent this absolute pile of drivel!

Why would someone do this?

[iluffacandii · 1/10 · 8 February 2014]

Yes, a completely awful and ridiculous movie. I mean, fine Horrid Henry itself is ridiculous in a sort of funny way but the movie killed it.

It isn't too good for the eye, as well as quite gruesome, but that's just Henry, it was also over-saturated, colors far to bright. I don't know if the colors were to make it seem more cartoon like but it was not good.

Some of the acting sucks in the movie, especially Miss Lovely, the actor is a great actress but the acting was just way over the top. Way over the top.

The story line is too jumpy, it goes from this to that within minutes, completely confused me.

This movie is a cinematic masterpiece

[JosephMama · 10/10 · 15 March 2021]

Horrid Henry the Movie is easily the best movie ever made. It makes the Shawshank Redemption look like it was written by 4 year olds. I am not exaggerating when I am saying how epic this film is. It stars Theo Stevenson as the titular character Horrid Henry who works with his arch enemy Moody Margaret and his little "wormy" brother Peter to take down Brick House School. The story is one of the best ever written in the history of cinema and I cannot praise it enough. This film is turning 10 this year, and you wouldn't think that with its realistic CGI. I honestly felt the scene where Henry morphs into a dinosaur felt so real that it looked like there literally was a dinosaur in real time! Some of the low IQ haters might question the fact that halfway through the movie they introduce Fang, Henry's hamster which will be a particular plot point later on, as well as Sour Susan's sister to be brought on as another plotpiece. I believe that they are stylistic choices that the director Nick Moore added to mess with the haters who don't understand the significance of this masterpiece of a film. The highlight of this movie has to be Dick and Dom, who I assume are playing themselves. Now, this is where this movie will go over the low IQ haters heads unlike me who caught on to the fact that both Dick and Dom can control the universe. In the scene where Henry goes onto the "Too Cool For School" game show we can see Dick and Dom teleport into the void, while the gameshow audience still see what's happening. This shows Dick and Dom are capable of bending reality. No other character can do this, which proves that Dick and Dom are gods in this mere universe while all the other characters are mere mortals. There is so much to say about this behemoth of cinema that it would take me thousands of pages to complete, but know that this movie is not for the low IQ folk who do not notice the brilliance of this amazing movie. It would've won an Oscar if it wasn't rigged against this film. Maybe the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are not "too cool for school" like us intellectuals who properly understood this magnum opus. 10/10, would easily recommend if you are a member of mensa like me.

Hey, Critics, leave this kids' (movie) alone!

[bowmanblue · 6/10 · 20 December 2014]

I seem to have found myself reading a lot of other reviews for Horrid Henry the Movie and the general consensus is that it's only an 'okay' film at best.

Much of the criticism comes from the fact that (apparently) the child actors portraying the characters in the original Horrid Henry books/TV cartoons, don't look anything like the source material. My argument to that is - this is a film, with REAL people. If real children looked like the caricature-like drawings in the books and cartoons then I would be seriously worried about which freak show they were drafted in from! Then much has been said about how (apparently) it doesn't stay true to the 'spirit' of the original source material. My argument would be that this is a FILM. If you like the books - great - they're books. If you like the cartoons - great - they're cartoons. Keep on reading and watching them. A film cannot be like a book and, unless it's a cartoon-film, not much like the cartoon either. The film takes many of the ideas and inspirations from the book and cartoon and expands on it. It has to. How else would it be able to stretch it out to an hour and a half? Also, people have said that the plot/story isn't up to scratch. I feel I have to spell it out - it's a KIDS' MOVIE. If you want plot twists and character development followed by shocks and surprises, watch the DaVinci Code. This film is aimed at children. Therefore, it has a story that they can understand.

Did I like it? No. But then I'm nearly thirty-five. However, my six year old daughter dragged me to the cinema twice to watch it (the second time I even fell asleep). Now Horrid Henry the Movie is on my television screen at home and my daughter is demanding it for her birthday. In short, let the kids be the judge of it.

Note: special kudos to Anjelica Huston for her great performance as Miss Battle-Axe.

One of the worst films ever

[Everythings_taken · 1/10 · 21 August 2019]

I'd like to know how so many well known actors and actresses thought that this movie was a good idea, did they even read the script before agreeing? I never enjoyed the Horrid Henry cartoon series, all the characters were super annoying, I did wonder if the films version of them would be less irritating, the answer, no, I think they are quite possibly even worse. Unfortunately my child does like this film and until he's old enough to develop some taste and understand real humour it looks like I'll be subject to this rubbish a little longer, sigh.

Simply Horrid!

[ross-biddle-1 · 1/10 · 8 February 2019]

Quite simply one of the worst films I've ever sat through (and I've watched Pokémon films) Torrible unfunny plot, horrific acting and an insult to children.

Awful

[ruqi-h4 · 1/10 · 3 February 2015]

Words cannot describe the hate I have for this movie. Yes hate. First of all everyone looks very different from the real characters, some look very daunting than they should and the effects are so unbelievably fake it's disgusting especially the way Henry turns into a dinosaur, that bit was so unrealistic and disappointing. They have tried way too hard to make it look like the original show and they have ruined it completely. Not to mention, Henry's mother was one of the biggest flops, her acting was DISGRACEFUL, fake, unreal and disappointing. The film to me was a big joke. Thinking about this movie makes me cringe!!! Peter and Henry were the only 'suitable' and 'bearable' actors, the rest were a disappointment. Also, another reason why this movie is awful is because of the amount of yellow used in the whole movie! ESPECIALLY the house, it looks like an obvious SET and a playhouse with the brightest of yellows ever used which could have caused serious damage to my eye sight if I watched just 10 minutes more of the film!!! *LAUGH OUT LOUD*

wanted to hit the main character through out

[s-hibbs-25837 · 1/10 · 21 April 2015]

absolutely terrible. made me cringe so so much. what a piece of rubbish. the fact noel fielding is in it was such a disappointment, I never thought he'd stoop so low. this movie was crappy, the acting was annoying and it had a typical story line. I know it's just a kids movie, but oh goodness it sucked more juice from donkey poo than bear grylls. it was literally -horrible- and I never ever want to see this again. I just made an account to leave this here. that's how bad this movie was: it moved me to rant. I would honestly rather never see any movies ever again than watch this again. the kid who played henry was irritating. thinking about it, all characters were. to everyone involved in this rubbish: what on earth were you thinking?

avoid this movie - if it even deserves that title - if you're not a basic person with a boring, typical sense of humour. have a nice day!

Worst movie ever made, and I've seen Disaster Movie.

[sboyd94 · 1/10 · 23 December 2013]

I have no words to describe how awful this movie really was, as nothing would do it justice. It was a really horrible viewing experience. The kid who played Henry was highly annoying, and I constantly felt the urge to roundhouse kick him in the face. I also hated the colour scheme. Every set looked like it had been vomited on by Care Bears. This movie really has no redeeming features whatsoever. I feel sorry for any actor who was in this tragedy, as it is definitely a potential career-ruiner. If I could give it 0 I would.

P.S. If your child ever shows the slightest interest in wanting to watch this lame excuse for entertainment, tell them how truly disappointed you are in them, and consider disowning them.

Just Bearable If You Don't Think About It

[neiljones1981 · 5/10 · 27 December 2014]

Sometimes as adults, we have stressful days at work, and on occasion as part of the unwind process, I have been known to dig out kids films - often something that one can follow without having to think too hard about what's going on.

Horrid Henry: The Movie doesn't require a massive amount of thought process if you know anything at all about the book series - it basically boils down to the lead character being a stereotypical schoolboy - to hate school and girls, and to love anything gross and disgusting with his friends.

Not having to think too hard about the film when watching is helpful, because if you did, you'd see a plot so thinly stretched it was in danger of breaking as soon as anybody opened their mouth. The sequence of events becomes more surreal as the film progresses, and as for the 2 Cool 4 School segment... the chain of events in 2 Cool 4 School isn't too far detached from reality but the presenters definitely are.

Theo Stevenson plays the main lead of Horrid Henry. Stevenson has clearly thrown his heart and soul into this role (he said in pre-release interviews he loved the books) and gives us a highly spirited and energetic performance while managing to avoid being irritating. The same cannot be said unfortunately for the rest of the kids including, ironically enough, Perfect Peter.

Of the adult cast, Anjelica Huston is Henry's teacher, done well here. Richard E. Grant also features as does Mathew Horne (of Bad Education fame and others) and I was pleasantly surprised to see Prunella Scales make a guest appearance as well. Dick & Dom seem to split opinion on everything they do but unfortunately they were both so far beyond irritating in here as their characters that having a hole drilled in my head would have been more pleasurable...

A just about watchable film if you switch off your brain prior to viewing and/or need something to unwind with but beyond that if you're not used to kids films this will probably annoy the living daylights out of you. Youngsters and die-hard Horrid Henry fans will probably lap it up.

Awful

[thomassmith-15601 · 1/10 · 24 January 2022]

This film is seriously awful this film breaks the laws of physics, random things just happen it's just rubbish, the director and writer didn't do a good job on this one.

Made me cry as a kid

[varietygamingj · 1/10 · 7 May 2023]

This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my entire life.

As a kid I watched this and it made me cry. It felt so insanely detached from reality, there were no breaks in between horrible quips of characters who sounded as if they substituted laughing gas for oxygen.

The saturation is a constant eye sore. Looking away from the screen would show the movie has burned into your retinas.

If there were a torture method for children this movie would be a stepping stone in that process. My parents were worried because I started crying and had to explain how the movie actually nearly made me vomit. This is not a joke, I remember this happening.

What were you expecting!?

[rappleby31 · 8/10 · 9 April 2013]

It cracks me up when adults review films aimed at children and give them a battering. This does pretty much what it says on the tin - my 3 and 6 year olds have watched this many times and it's pretty bearable even as an adult. I am happy to be a little (!) older than the target audience. A decent effort with CGIs too to be fair. And can anyone tell me of a film where the 3D effects HAVEN'T been a gratuitous waste of time!?

In short, my six year old daughter now wants to be a rock star and considers herself to be too cool for school.

Oh, err, hold on a sec.... :-)

A kids movie - gross, but fun

[direstreetstribute · 6/10 · 17 August 2012]

It's odd reading all the reviews critiquing this film in terms of editing, plot etc and marking it down.

There is one golden rule when watching children's movies - take children, leave your adult experience in the foyer.

My two girls - 5 and 8 - loved it. I didn't but that really doesn't matter.

I've given it an average rating taking into account my score - 3 - and the girls' score - 9. The girls' score is the only one that matters.

So far they've watched it about 5 times, and keep yelling at me from the other room to come in quick because "this bit is really funny".

That's enough for me.

Worse than horrid!!!

[nicolelbr87 · 1/10 · 3 January 2014]

I wanted to like it...I really did (especially after reading such mixed reviews)! This is by far the worst movie my family and I have ever seen. I was trying to get something both kids would like (10 and 13 years old). After reading the synopsis, I was hoping for something along the lines of Slappy and the Stinkers (they both liked that one) but the only thing they had in common is the word Stinker! Thank god we didn't pay for it - it was a free promo through Redbox! The only good thing about this movie, is that our entire family agreed it was a complete stinker!!!! Not even Angelica Houston could help this terrible movie! Please don't waste your money or even more importantly your time on Horrid Harry!

Horrid Henry: The Movie

[studioAT · 2/10 · 20 May 2022]

The inevitable big screen adaptation of Francesca Simons beloved kids books came and went very quickly.

It tries its best, I'm sure it's a big hit with kids, but for me it didn't truly capture what makes the books great.

A shame.