First impressions of Riddle of Fire

This retro adventure—which sends kids questing for an egg that'll help them bake a pie and save a sleeping beauty—will puzzle many moviegoers and win the hearts of a special few. I'm one of the few.

UPDATE: Riddle of Fire is now available for rental on a variety of streaming platforms including Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.

---

Apparently, New York Times film critic Jeannette Catsoulis finds the whimsical new adventure movie Riddle of Fire too drawn out, too tedious. “Viewers may need the patience of Job to remain in their seats.”

For some viewers, that may be so. But that is not because of any failing on the filmmakers’ part. I suspect that disgruntled viewers are suffering a failure of imagination. Or maybe they just missed out on specific experiences that make this movie such a particular joy.

Just as a simple synopsis of The Princess Bride could never convey the distinctive tone, the tongue-in-cheek humor, the playfulness with low-budget constraints, or the childlike whimsy of Rob Reiner’s film, so a plot summary of Riddle of Fire is going to leave readers clueless about what makes the movie special. Suffice it to say that the story’s about…