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A very good adaptation of the popular series of books by Tony DiTerllizi and Holly Black, The Spiderwick Chronicles is one of the few family films in recent years to seamlessly integrate magical elements with a potent drama that will strike a chord with many kids.
An exceptionally talented Freddie Highmore (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) plays twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, caught up in their parents' divorce and coping with a decision by their mother (Mary-Louise Parker) to uproot the boys and their sister, Mallory (Sarah Bolger) from New York City to a small town. There, the broken family moves into a spooky old mansion passed on to them by the kids' great-aunt, Lucinda (Joan Plowright), who is spending her twilight years in managed care and whose scientist father, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn), disappeared some 80 years ago. Jared, angry, defiant, and determined to live with the father who seems to have abandoned him, investigates strange happenings and discovers Arthur's secret notations on fairies, ogres, and other mythical creatures that live both in and outside the house. Having no idea where his curiosity is leading, Jared soon finds that he and his family are under siege from goblins and a powerful ogre (Nick Nolte) who wants Arthur's notebook. Suddenly, the boy who is a lightning rod for a troubled family becomes a resourceful warrior intent on saving his loved ones from powerful forces.
The Spiderwick Chronicles benefits enormously from a script (partially written by John Sayles) that treats, quite seriously, the emotional pain of its human characters and makes Jared's will to survive the very real engine of an otherwise fantastic story. It helps, too, that director Mark Waters, who brings a warm and knowing touch to outlandish material (Freaky Friday), has a way of making the spectacular elements of The Spiderwick Chronicles genuine enough to stir real excitement and suspense. This is one of the better film adaptations of best-selling fiction for kids in some years. --Tom Keogh
Synopsis
From the moment the Grace family moves into a secluded old house, peculiar things start to happen. Unable to explain the accidents and strange disappearances, the Grace children--Jared, Simon and Mallory--start to investigate and find the unbelievable truth of the Spiderwick Estate and the amazing creatures that inhabit it.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun...and no spiders !,
By
This review is from: The Spiderwick Chronicles [DVD] (DVD)
I took my 12 year old daughter to see this at the cinema recently and we both really enjoyed it.
It centres on a mother and her three children who relocate from New York to their great aunt's house in a wood (far far away) following the marriage break-up. Family issues are soon forgotten when the inquisitve Jared discovers Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the enchanted woods and it's fabulous inhabitants - fairies, trolls, goblins and of course the evil ogre Mulgarth. He will stop at nothing to get hold of Spiderwick's writings and the knowledge and power it would give him. Will Mulgarth and his goblin (look more like toads to me) army break the magic ring around the house to get at the family and the Field Guide ...?? This is a 21st century tale, not Disney schmaltzy, pretty original and generally good fun for the whole family, though I think the PG rating is pretty fair as young kids could get scared. It has some real laugh out loud moments, good characters (the Shrek-like pig grates a bit, but he has his moment at the end) flawless CGI and a well paced story to keep everyone entertained. It's not as epic as say the Chronicles of Narnia or the Golden Compass, but this is not a bad thing as they can be a bit "worthy" and heavy. This is more fun and worked for us. Happy endings all round and four stars from us, well deserved
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An old fashioned family adventure with a good balance of drama and fun,
By
This review is from: The Spiderwick Chronicles [DVD] (DVD)
The Spiderwick Chronicles is one of those films that ticks all the right boxes for a traditional family adventure movie. It tells the story of a family who relocate to a spooky mansion in the middle of nowhere (as you do), then start experiencing very strange goings on both within the house and outside it. Things start to go weird when one of the sons finds an old book written by their great Uncle, who mysteriously disappeared many years ago, and is the former owner of the mansion. The book documents the existence of fairies, goblins, ogres and many other mythical creatures, explaining that they are completely invisible to humans and only make themselves visible when they want to. But as soon as this book is found, suddenly these mythical creatures start waging a mini-war against the family, desperately trying to steal the book from them. Fortunately not all the creatures are malevolent and one, a little goblin type creature called Thimbletack the Brownie, helps them in their quest to stop the book falling into evil hands.
The story is very simple and leaves you in no doubt as to who are the bad guys and who are the good guys, there's no shades of grey. The fact that this good vs. evil battle is not on a grand scale and is instead confined just to the family house and the surrounding area gives a more earthly and believable feel to it. As the family try and think of ways to outwit the creatures, they discover more and more about this magical world they have discovered. Just as significantly, they also start to piece together the strange circumstances surrounding their Uncle's disappearance, and start to make sense of this whole bizarre situation. The special effects are excellent with all the weird and wonderful creatures superbly rendered in CGI. The effects, however, are never over the top and intrusive, letting the storyline take the lead. As well as the genuine sense of wonder that this film creates, there's also an engaging subplot involving the family's own inner turmoil resulting from the Father's separation from the Mother. Ironically, the discovery of this mythical world unites the family and helps them confront and overcome their own emotional problems. So all in all, this film is a very well made family adventure that has something to offer both kids and adults.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Am I really over 13?,
By Heiskanen Lennart (Gothenburg, Sweden) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Spiderwick Chronicles [DVD] (DVD)
Yes, I'm actually 59, but I tend to forget while watching movies like this one. I love it! Quite scary while it lasts, but with a happy ending. Just like fairytales should be. And very good actors! Freddie Highmore especially, but all of them are.
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