Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Mary Lennox is born in India to wealthy British parents who never wanted her. When her parents suddenly die, she is sent back to England to live with her uncle. She meets her sickly cousin, and the two children find a wondrous secret garden lost in the grounds of Misselthwaite Manor.
This 2020 adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved novel is a competent but unexceptional retelling of a story that has been filmed multiple times. The plot follows the source material faithfully but adds little new perspective, while the 1940s post-war setting is a modest tweak that doesn't dramatically reframe the narrative. Acting is serviceable, with Dixie Egerickx giving a decent performance as Mary, though characterization feels somewhat thin. The CGI-heavy approach to the garden itself is a double-edged sword — visually ambitious but often feeling synthetic compared to the lush practicality of earlier adaptations. The ending resolves without much earned emotional weight, feeling rushed and tidy. Overall, a middle-of-the-road family fantasy that will satisfy younger viewers but offers little to distinguish it among adaptations of this classic tale.