In adapting his own best-seller, William Goldman has opted for an atmospheric thriller, a mood director Richard Attenborough fleshes out to its fullest.
Comment
03/26/09
Magic (1978)
83
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:18
Fresh:15
Rotten:3
Average Rating:6.8/10
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: A screen adaptation of William Goldman's chilling novel of a ventriloquist's dummy that takes over his master's life. Ventriloquist Corky Fats finally gets the chance to make it big when his... [More]
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter
Director: Richard Attenborough
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Reviews for Magic
1 - 18 (sorted by date)
Top CriticMagic has few scary moments and is really a rather maudlin examination of a nervous breakdown.
01/08/07
It makes you feel uncomfortable in your own skin.
07/09/06
A hammed-up version of the old chestnut about the ventriloquist who is 'taken over' by his dummy, clumsily adapted by William Goldman from his own novel.
06/24/06
Because of Hopkins, because of Ann-Margret (who hardly looks like that Ann-Margret, adeptly proving herself as an occasional dramatic actress), and because of Burgess Meredith as well as Fats the dummy, "Magic" is one of the top-notch films of the 1970s.
06/21/06
Odd combo, but it's creepy and generally works.
05/09/06
A very well-crafted suspense-thriller that unfolds with one dramatically tense scene after another. Hopkins is superb.
03/15/06
Very likely to produce nightmares.
10/07/05
Still creepy story of Hopkins and his psychotic dummy.
06/12/05
Magic is neither eerie nor effective. It is, however, very heavy of hand.
05/09/05
Top CriticNo review available.
05/08/05
No review available.
02/07/05
No review available.
12/18/04
Good cast can't keep this thriller afloat.
11/20/03
No review available.
11/15/03
It's no dummy!
11/05/03
No review available.
08/09/03
Although it's well-handled by Attenborough and features decent supporting turns from Ann-Margret and Ed Lauter, the key source of Magic's terror is the fact that ventriloquists' dummies are and always will be disturbing.
05/24/03
1 - 18 (sorted by date)
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