Adventures in Appletown (2008) YIFY (2023)

When I saw the title of the movie and the main crew (the Sprouse twins), I thought, "This is another teen movie where two kids try to solve a mystery, Scooby-Doo style." Yes, more or less, but in some cases I was wrong. "Adventures in Appletown" or "The Kings of Appletown" as it is called is a good movie full of mystery, action and adventure. Cousins ​​Will and Clay are very close, but Clay is clearly having a hard time following his cousin. They are training to participate in a breath-holding contest at the local fair. But the boy cannot hold his breath for long, despite all the training. In a good open scene, director Robert Moresco tries to create a connection between the characters and the audience. Sequence after sequence, we learn about life in the small town of Appletown and its inhabitants and, most importantly, the relationship between the two children. Unfortunately, the director did not try to create a script in which the audience could discover the personalities of the boys. In the first scene we see the difference. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Today's public is very used to a "compact script" and is too lazy to think. Will is determined, brave, smart and always takes the lead. Clay is anxious, insecure, and has trouble trusting himself. As he says "I'm not good at anything", while his cousin can do many things. Suddenly, they find themselves at the crime scene at the amusement park. A murder followed by a robbery. As a witness, the guys now have to decide: to say or not. This is the central theme of the film. Also, we get to know the life of Will and his aunt, who are constantly trying to paint Will's fence (I remember Tom Sawyer in this sequence; by the way, the whole story resembles the Mark Twain story). The boys decide to solve the mystery and save an innocent man. The most interesting thing about this movie is the relationship between Will and Clay. They help each other and Will, despite being smarter and stronger than his cousin, never gives up on him. It's a good movie for a Saturday night and you have to be careful because the puzzle is very complex and the solution is found in the dialogues. The sequence at the coach's house is quite tense and his mom is quite scary (the rate was given by PG-and rightly so). It is not a movie with complex special effects. No, it's a simple movie about friendship, loyalty and the courage to do the right thing. Will's love interest is another point. Usually in teen movies the love interest is part of the script, but here it's pushed into the background. We know he likes her, but that doesn't matter and the movie doesn't end with a kiss (as it often does). Congratulations to the manager. "Appletown Adventures" is still a teen movie, but different from the big movies of this genre. And that's what interested me in this movie!

A little older, a little chubby, and less cute than they were in their Disney days, the Sprouse twins play two cousins ​​in this film. One brother dyed his hair dark, while the other kept it blonde to make it better appear as if they were relatives but not actual brothers. The character of one of the twins, Will, is bold and confident, while the other cousin, Clayton, is crazy and lacks confidence. It is possible that he has a feeling of déjà vu in the first few minutes of this movie. That's because this film, while set in the present day, draws heavily, very closely, on the themes and settings found in Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer. However, this is not a criticism. The movie makes no attempt to hide its source material, and some of the references are quite cleverly done. For example, one of the twins lives with his Aunt Birdie (not Aunt Polly), who is always right behind him when it comes to painting the front fence... There is also a Becky Thatcher-like character named Betty, who has a crush on she is the more trusting cousin and vice versa, even though the two appear to be several years old. And there's also a sinister character who's obviously based on Injun Joe, who coaches the school's soccer team and is called...wait...Coach Joe. A river also plays a part in the story, although I'm pretty sure it's not the Mississippi. As I said, despite its roots in Mark Twain, this is all set in the present. The plot concerns the father of the female character framed for a murder he did not commit. I won't tell you who actually did it! You can probably guess. There are also some stolen gold dollars that the brothers, oops, cousins... are trying to find to prove who is the real murderer. Instead of lazily sailing down the river on a raft, these guys race on a jet ski. In fact, they seem to have access to plenty of legal forms of transportation, though that doesn't explain who owns these items or how the boys got hold of them. Anyway, that's basically the plot. The movie is very well shot and the setting is picturesque. The acting is good all around, and although it starts out slow, the movie becomes quite emotional towards the end. We all know how it's going to end, of course, but it's fun to get there. My family was a bit nervous for the first half of this movie, but as the action heated up, their eyes were glued to the screen. It's not Tom Sawyer, but this movie is definitely good.

The only other review here is from an Aussie who obviously adores the twins who star in the film, but for those of us not from below, their talents are nothing special. If you want to see really good performances by kids, check out To Kill a Mockingbird or even The Goonies and Matilda. The Appletown kids seem to be reading their lines from the phone book and they don't have any charm. The plot is very average, something kids might enjoy, but nothing for adults here. A good children's movie has enough charm and good writing to amuse adults and children alike. Shrek is a good example of a movie that was just as much fun for the adults who brought the kids to the movie as it was for the kids who brought them. A good children's movie also teaches children to see a valuable life lesson, and neither does this movie. Movies like To Kill A Mockingbird as well, as well as Second Hand Lions, another outstanding movie. Just insert a DVD to keep the kids entertained, but don't waste time.