When I think “Vinegar Syndrome”, I don’t necessarily think of a wholesome, feel-good, family-friendly adventure romp – for those not familiar with the iconic U.S.-based Blu-Ray label, you’d be more likely to see them announce a release of The Untold Story (1993) than The Neverending Story (1984), though I wouldn’t put it past those maniacs to unveil new editions of both by the time this review is out. Director Weston Razooli’s feature debut, Riddle of Fire (2023), may be as warm and comforting as films get, but it’s also full of the 16mm esotericism and sincere home-grown genre playfulness that are VS’s bread and butter – but Riddle of Fire is no mere nostalgia-trip, at least not in the sense of just being another synth-soundtracked throwback to the kids-on-bikes flicks of yesteryear. At its heart, Razooli’s film is an ode to youth as much as it is a picture for the young-at-heart, a celebration of childhood adventures and the fantasy worlds that young friends build together.

Described as a “neo-fairytale” by its marketing material, Riddle of Fire follows the “Three Immortal Reptiles” – a trio of juvenile adventurers made up of Alice (Phoebe Ferro), Hazel (Charlie Stover), and Jodie (Skyler Peters), whose plans to spend the summer gaming with their new, successfully-stolen “Otomo” console are thwarted when they find that Hazel and Jodie’s living-room TV is password protected. The boys’ sick, bed-bound mother, Julie (Danielle Hoetmer), sends the three out on an errand to fetch her a blueberry pie in exchange for the code, hoping that it will get her kids to spend some time in the great outdoors – an errand which leads to the youngsters being swept up in a real-world fantastic quest at the excitingly-named Faery Castle Mountain. The troupe of adventurers must face many challenges along the way, including angry shop employees, egg thieves, and an occult poaching gang known as the “Enchanted Blade” – the latter of which leads them to meet Petal (Lorelei Olivia Mote), who might be a woodland fairy, and is the daughter of the gang’s sinister leader, Anna-Freya Hollyhock (Lio Tipton).

If you hadn’t gathered the vibe already, then I’ll just outright say it – Riddle of Fire is a genuinely lovely little movie. Calling it “the feel-good film of the year” in May might be a little presumptive, but it’s certainly a contender at this rate. It’s sweet but never cloying, whimsical without any sense of hollow pretense, and nostalgic without ever feeling trite – this is, for what it’s worth, one of the most successfully authentic attempts at making a modern successor to an ‘80s kids’ adventure movie in the vein of The Goonies (1985) that I’ve seen, which is extra wonderful considering that I’m not sure that was ever Razooli’s conscious intent. Riddle of Fire is also blessed with lashings of mystical fantasy atmosphere, with its perfectly-photographed natural setting and moody dungeon-synth soundtrack lulling the viewer into a liminal dreamscape somewhere between the realm of folk legend and The Legend of Zelda; this is a film which is as much in love with the beauty of nature and outdoor adventure as it is with old-school gaming, at times feeling like the closest thing we’ll ever get to a screen adaptation of the cult SNES favourite Earthbound.

Refreshingly, for all of its “retro” trappings, Riddle of Fire is by no means reactionary – it never once suggests that kids need to return to how they were in previous generations, or that everything has become tainted in the age of the internet, and instead it stresses the importance of spending quality time with others and building meaningful connections, whether in the enchanted woods or in the digital realm. Its plot feels like a fantasy game dreamt up by children, and that’s partially what makes it so successful – even moreso thanks to how believable our trio of leads are as real-world children, to the point that Jodie’s dialogue is subtitled for the sake of young actor Peters’s authentic delivery. Their friendship feels heartwarmingly genuine, and their antics are legitimately funny in their absurd, immature goofiness – I laughed out loud every single time that they hit someone with a paintball. Perhaps that says more about me than it does about the film, but I think it would be hard for Riddle of Fire not to elicit a chuckle or two from even the most stoic of viewers. I was also impressed by how genuinely menacing the film’s villains were, feeling like a slightly more kiddie-friendly version of the horrifying “Children of the New Dawn” cult from Mandy (2018) – and actress Lio Tipton really sells the idea of her character as some kind of modern-day fairy-tale witch, her spells and incantations often darkly poetic and immaculately-worded as she aims to hunt, trap and kill the legendary “Prince of the Mountain”.

That isn’t to say that Riddle of Fire is completely flawless – once the villainous “Enchanted Blade” gang are introduced, the film’s pacing lulls a little, particularly when compared with its laugh-a-minute first act, and whilst the reference is appreciated, a certain musical decision during the film’s final scene might activate hardened genre film fans’ “fight-or-flight” response a little too hard for a sequence with nothing but pure intentions (which might be a joke in and of itself, for those who recognise Riddle of Fire’s calming end track as being the theme to one of the most infamously nasty horror films ever made). However, these are minor flaws (if that latter one is truly a flaw at all), and ones which will barely register to most viewers thanks to just how well-crafted Razooli’s film is, especially for a first feature.

It may pay homage to the fantasy media that kids of yesteryear grew up on, but Riddle of Fire feels like as much a breath of fresh air as it is a warm, comforting mug of cocoa. Razooli’s feature debut is sure to appeal to the spirit of adventure that lies within both young and old, and contains oodles of humour and charm to boot. For those who wish to experience the treasures within – can ye solve the Riddle of Fire?