By Jonathan Bilski
Well howdy, how are you kind folks? I'm here to tell you the tale of three naughty kids, one little witch and the quest to make a blueberry pie to play video games. Let's call the tale, the Riddle of Fire. That's the starting premise of what looks like and feels like a classic 80's/early 90's kid adventure movie. I'll, turn off my old timey story-teller voice. Move over Goonies, this is how we do it in 20's!
How do you like me now Spielberg?!? That might be what director Weston Razooli is saying as he's made an instant classic that should be on in the background of basic cable movie channels or randomly playing in your streaming feed. Why? Not just because of the colors that look faded and filters making it look like it's somehow a HD VHS copy of something you've already seen, but because of the charming, ridiculous story and talented young kids in the film.
We have two brothers Hazel (Charlie Stover) and Jodie A'Dale (Skyler Peters) and their friend Alice (Phoebe Ferro) as our leads. They're a bike gang, shooting up the town with paintballs. Eventually the crew crosses paths with another member of their quest party, a young "magical" girl Petal (Lorelei Olivia Mote). They're like the coolest gang you can think of forming as a kid with a straight up strong goal, playing video games.
The story couldn't be more important to anyone who had a childhood in the last four decades. Starting off as an action movie/heist film. Our kid bike gang "get" a brand new console. They set it up at the brother's house and have a bountiful smorgasbord before them. And, just before they can get to their gaming goodness, their dreams are dashed by a parental lock on the TV. Given a seemingly easy quest to get a blueberry pie for the two brothers sick Mom(in return the lock password), it becomes a dangerous adventure dealing with adults and the Enchanted Blade Gang. And, all over getting a special speckled egg to make the pie!
Kids don't talk that way. Is probably what you'll say when you hear the dialogue from these kids mouths. It's not cursing, it's the planning and the way they interact with adults that's just amazing. Con artists, criminals or just waxing poetic what comes out of their mouths is always gonna make you go, "What?'
And, that's just part of an adventure that has them trying to outsmart a real gang doing illegal hunting/taxidermy, trying to win a dance contest and not get caught doing the bad stuff they do.
You'll have a favorite scene and a favorite kid. My favorite scene might be when one of the kids gets too greedy and eats a meal he shouldn't. As smart as the kids are sometimes, they're also idiots.
This is a stand out from all the recent new movies I've been watching in 2024. I say if you're in the mood to see a classic kid adventure movie you swear you've probably seen already than this one is it.
Riddle of Fire is avaible for Streaming, multiple places online or you could get the Blu-ray from the fine folks over at Vinegar Syndrome.
