This is a fantasy film to a certain extent, despite the fact it deals with a widow raising four kids on her own and the hardships which that entails. The kids are the heroes of the movie. When they move to Simsonville from Atlanta they meet next-door-neighbor Jared, complete with a British accent and a willingness to help Marie (Lisa Justice) with the plumbing and fixing one of the boy’s bikes and other fix-it jobs which at first makes life easier for her and the kids. But when her two boys begin to crack a code regarding where some stolen diamonds were buried, the trail leads to the neighbor, Jared, who appears to be a criminal named Denton, a man who knows where the stolen diamonds are. Is he really Denton? And what will he do to the boys once he learns they know his secret?
There are a few scenes which parents need to be cautioned about. At one point the boys, under-age drivers, take their mother’s van keys and drive the van to the spot where the diamonds are so the police will follow them and hopefully nab the villain. There are also a few scenes of a villain hitting the kids and trying to run one of the boys over, and scenes in which they punch him as well. There is no blood and it doesn’t get graphic but parents should know about the scenes. In addition, the bad guy kidnaps the boys’ sister Sophia which starts the confrontation in the first place. On the other hand, the movie is mainly about the boys being the heroes and cracking the diamond code. Also, a neighbor provides comic relief such as when she shows the kids her deceased husband’s gun collection and a little girl asks her if she shoots the guns. “Not for a longtime, dearie,” she replies, “but there’s nothing like a grandma packing heat!” The little girl mentions her to someone and says, “She’s been around since before there were CDs!”
The movie features themes of loyalty, death and grief, and restoration and should be fine for kids ages twelve and up to watch. We gladly award “More than Diamonds” our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal. The production values are nice and the kids act like every-day kids except…these kids are really heroes! Thanks to them, the movie has a happy ending.
