The movie as a whole is definitely entertaining. In a sort of Indiana Jones meets Harry Potter, the movie takes the Russo family to the Caribbean on a vacation. Alex (Selena Gomez) is having typical teen troubles with her mother, wanting to have more freedom than she’s really ready for. The vacation begins like many family vacations, Mom wanting tons of pictures, no one agreeing on what to do, and Dad telling old stories. So when Alex starts fighting with her mom again, it comes as no real surprise that trouble is coming next.

Alex snuck her dad’s Book of Forbidden Spells on the trip while her brother, Justin (David Henrie) also snuck the family wand along. The two collaborate to try to sneak away from their parents. But they get caught and Alex ends up yelling at her mom and wishing her parents had never met. Bad idea when you’re holding an extremely powerful magic wand. Because as the kids find out moments later, their parents really haven’t met. And so begins the “Indiana Jones” segment of the movie, a quest to find The Stone of Dreams, a stone that can reverse any spell.

Alex and Justin leave to search for the stone while their youngest brother Max (Jake T Austin) is in charge of making sure their parents meet each other and don’t fall for anyone else. The latter isn’t as big a part of the story as Alex and Justin are but it is sweet. Watching these parents fall for each other is really touching. In particular because I think that’s rare for a Disney show. I have no doubt that the child actors love their tv parents on any show. I just sometimes feel like the Disney Channel doesn’t work so hard to get good adult actors (except in guest spots) as they do on the child. (I suppose I have to consider that you can’t turn a 38 year old man into a tween/teen pop star. Course there was this group called The Beatles.) I digress, the point is, Wizards of Waverly Place is unique in that. The entire family is a cast of talented actors and this movie truly showcases that.

Alex and Justin meanwhile have a few adventures that while exciting aren’t the main point. Throughout the series, it has been established that Alex and Justin fight. The writers put enough moments in to show that they truly love each other but either way, these are typical teenage siblings. I know, I acted the exact same way with my brothers. Still do sometimes. The key to the story though is in these two warring siblings finding value in their relationship and in themselves. In what I believe to be a rare twist for a Disney movie, Alex and Justin are not only honest to each other, several times, about how much they care about each other, they are also honest in how they view themselves. As it turns out, Alex is jealous of Justin’s intelligence and broad knowledge of everything. Justin though, feels like if he wasn’t so perfect, his parents (and everyone else) wouldn’t love him. The scenes between these two tell a story of sacrifice, love, and family.

It is a Disney movie so it ends happily. I won’t tell how though so you can watch it for yourselves. Let’s just say, its very well done.

For me, though, the bigger joy was in the acting of Selena Gomez and David Henrie. I personally have a hard time buying brother/sister relationships on television. Some actors do it really well but often it seems the character is one tilt of a head or wrong look from making out with their ‘sibling’. I think a lot of this comes from the fact that siblings really do have a deeper bond. It’s that attitude that says I can tease them mercilessly but let someone outside try anything and the claws come out. You can’t just capture that on screen. Selena and David do. I’ve thought that during most of the 2 seasons its been on air but the movie solidified that.

Watching the movie, I was brought to tears several times by the two of them. I don’t do that often. It was a truly superb pair of actors on that screen. Selena has said in interviews that while she’s loving the chance to record an album, her heart is in acting. As far as a career goes, acting is the profession she wants. David shares the acting bug but desires producing and directing as well. Both are forces to be reckoned with. These days, celebrities are a dime a dozen. Finding a great actor in the midst is a rare and amazing thing. David Henrie and Selena Gomez have brought two to Wizards of Waverly Place.

Viewer Reviews:

Review by Judy
I like Wizards of waverly place- it's fun, funny and relaxing. So, when I was about to watch the movie, that was what I expected to see, but the movie was more serious. It had some comedy parts, but it was more of a Drama/adventure movie. My sister watched this movie about seven times!! And I have to say it's totally worth that!!. The movie is really cool, and the cast of Wizards showed they can actually act. The difference between the movie and the T.V series is that in the movie you get to see a deeper side of each character, there are no unreal expressions in the movie like the series, the visual effects are convencing and well-made. If you are a fan of adventure movies, you should watch this one. If you are a fan of the T.V Series, then you must have already seen it!!!, but if you haven't yet, I recommened you do. It'll move you.