Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
PG | 28 August 2009 (USA)
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie Trailers

A young wizard accidentally conjures a spell that puts her family in jeopardy.

Reviews
Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall
GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.
Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
tiago_lima011 Amazing movie. Original. Fantastic. I know Justin and Alex are supposed to be close and siblingly in this movie, but at times they are heading into dangerous territory. Your vision may differ of course, but the closeness, well, a little unsual for a brother and sister. Maybe the actors are into each other a little too much. Alex is Alex as usually, not the perfect role model, but I think this makes the show and the movie the most interesting on that channel, I can barely call Disney. The rest was excellent.Parents don't have to worry about the example that the rebellious teen sets for their own kids, since Alex eventually is forced to come to terms with her unpleasant behavior when she faces the possibility of life without her family. What's more, she learns important lessons in responsibility and self-confidence and improves her relationship with her brother after she sees things from his point of view. This upbeat, kid-friendly movie is a great choice for families of tweens and might even help get the ball rolling on discussions about topics like rules and respect.I love it.
StartingAllOver14 Out of all the recent shows from Disney Channel, "Wizards of Waverly Place" seems to be the one that it's acceptable to like and has the biggest fan-base besides "Hannah Montana". And it's well-deserved, cause "Wizards" it's a funny, entertaining and watchable show. As the popularity increased, the creators decided to give the show a movie, just as "Hannah Montana" and "Lizzie McGuire" were given their movies. But this time, "Wizards" has been given a non-theatrical one. While this movie-adaptation is a cute one, it doesn't surpass the show and neither it's the best Disney Channel flick I've seen.But let's mention something positive first. Selena Gomez as Alex is the one who carries most of the movie. Besides being incredibly cute and charismatic, this is also perhaps the best acting I've seen from her. When she's leaves "Wizards", she should definitively get out of Disney and aim for more mature roles, cause she has a lot of potential to develop herself to a great actress.Besides of Alex, the whole Russo family are present in this film, which is nice to see. Jerry (David DeLuise) is just as funny and charismatic as he is in the show, Teresa (Maria Canals-Barrera) is more or less the same character, while Max (Jake T. Austin) is whimsical to an lesser extent. The one who's differs himself from the series is Justin (David Henrie), who shows a more responsible and mature side of himself, which suits the character, although I prefer the goofy and dorky Justin, cause he's usually funnier that way. But he and Alex's has a great sibling chemistry in the film and their relationship are more or less the heart of the story.Although I don't like saying it, "Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie" somehow suffers from the same problems as "Hannah Montana The Movie"; blending funny characters from a sitcom into a more serious plot. Though "Hannah Montana The Movie" turned the Hannah-concept to all that it wasn't; a sappy melodrama which turned it's back to the show's premises and continuity (Maybe Disney could've hired a director who actually had seen the show?). But while "Hannah Montana The Movie" was more or less absent of humor, "Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie" has some hilarious moments along the road and while it takes the characters to a new place, it doesn't mess with the continuity of the plot as "Hannah" did.However, Wizards does suffers some other issues; Archie (Steve Valentine) is charismatic, but not a threatening enough as a villain. The movie is cute, but still lacks the spirit and the spunk from the TV show. Although the story is solid, it does struggle with pacing, the slow and fast-pacing moments feels quite separate. Perhaps the movie could've been more energetic and more cohesive paced if it was theatrical released? Well, there has been some rumors about the producers wanting to do a theatrically released sequel. And good is that. Otherwise, I shan't complain anymore about "Wizards"; It is after all a cute and watchable movie. Fans of the show has already warmly embraced it and those who haven't seen the movie won't probably be disappointed. The story is solid and adventurous, with many nods to both Indiana Jones and Power Rangers. The score by Kenneth Burgomaster is cute and solidly supports the story. The special effects are quite impressive for belonging to a TV movie. And the film has some sweet, tender moments as well.So to the conclusion; Is "Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie" worth a view? In spite of it's flaws; Ys, absolutely. It is a watchable and okay movie. But a note to Disney; Please stop making movies out of your shows.
tommy61986 I am not much of a Selena Gomez fan or a Disney TV movie watcher.But the movie was film in Puerto Rico and Gabriela Rosario stole my heart playing the village girl saying one delightful word,"Cueva",meaning "cave".I give my thanks to Selena Gomez and Disney in putting my Island of Puerto Rico and esp,Rosario to play the little girl and the reason for the good comment on Rosario,she is family member and want her to become a major Hollywood star,as for the movie.It the first time I see a Selena Gomez's wizard movie and the Puerto Rico scene shot was beautiful done.Gomez is a teen idol of this century.This became the second most watch TV movie on Disney channel next to high school musical.hats off to the village girl and her only word "cueva".next Selena Gomez for the next century or the next adventure in Puerto Rico part 2.
VoiceofJustice To be honest, I began watching this movie not expecting much... and I'm a pretty big fan of WOWP the show. I was under the impression that DCOMs were made to suck. I know a rare, rare few has had its' successes, but after trash like Camp Rock, I just do not expect much from these DCOMs anymore.This movie was delightful to watch. This movie for once, actually had a plot. The scenery was beautiful, and the visual effects were actually not super shabby. I know it wasn't perfect, but definitely decent for a DCOM. The acting was definitely good. Selena was brilliant in this movie, and she outshines any other teen stars currently at Disney. Miley Cyrus can move out of the way for this amazing actress.This is a movie for kids, teens, families and even older people who don't mind a cute, humorous, sweet adventure movie.You'll enjoy it.