Upon arriving at her uncle's mansion, Mary is told that she must stay in her room, and be niether seen nor heard. She doesn't listen. She soon finds out that there are many places to search in the mansion. Mary happens upon a her mother's twin sister's room (where she finds a mysterious key), and then her bed-ridden cousin's room.
Mary makes friends with her cousin, Colin (Heydon Prowse). She learns all about him, that his father doesn't want him to die, and has made sure of that by making him stay in his bed his whole life. In the meantime, Mary wanders around the garden and fimds a strange, hidden door. Not knowing how to get in, she asks the head grounds keeper how, but he doesn't tell her.
Mary realizes that the strange key she found would open the door.
Mary makes friends with another boy at the mansion (Andrew Knott), and soon takes him into the "secret" garden. She also causes trouble by getting Colin out of bed and outside (everyone fears that spores in the air will kill him), and takes him to the garden.
Suddenly, the boy who couldn't walk can, and vows that he will finally meet his father (who never came to see him since his wife died delivering the boy). Even the miserly old maid (Dame Maggie Smith) has a change of heart. But it's really amazing: one little girl can change the life of a whole castle of people.
Some may say that this is a family movie, and some may say that it is a childrens flick, but it's not. It is both. The Secret Garden is a wonderfully charming and endearing movie, and as Roger Ebert says, should be seen by everyone.
Plot: 
The movie deals with love, fear, and reasons why we do what we do, for better or for worse. The Secret Garden has a great story based on the book, and, well, it's just wonderful.
Visual Effects: 
The visuals are good in The Secret Garden, but could have been better; the garden is spectacularly done.
Sound:
Nothing to the sound or music. It's OK, not great.
Character Development:
Growth is a central theme of The Secret Garden. Everyone changes in one way or another, which is exactly what must happen in this film.
Atmosphere:
This movie doesn't have much of an atmosphere, but is easy to stay tuned. The castle Mary is ent to is huge, and even that is an understatement! the Castle adds much to the atmosphere of the film.
Realism:
A great movie that doesn't, for once, look "Hollywoodized."
Warren’s Rating:
7.43/10Is the movie worth your time to watch?
03-05-03
