Movie Review for The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

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Review #618 of 365
Movie Review of The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) [PG] 97 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $12.75
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When Seen: 14 February 2008
Time: 7:35 pm
DVD Release Date: 24 June 2008 (click date to purchase or pre-order)
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer

Soundtrack: Download now from James Horner - The Spiderwick Chronicles
Download the Audio Books from Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black - The Spiderwick Chronicles, Volume I: Books 1 & 2 (Unabridged) - or - order the CD below

Directed by: Mark Waters (Just Like Heaven)
Screenplay by: Karey Kirkpatrick (Charlotte's Web) • David Berenbaum (Zoom) • John Sayles (Honeydripper) based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Freddie Highmore (August Rush) • Mary-Louise Parker (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) • Nick Nolte (Off the Black) • Sarah Bolger (Alex Rider: Stormbreaker) • Andrew McCarthy ("E-Ring") • Joan Plowright (Curious George) • David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum) • Seth Rogen (Superbad) • Martin Short (The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause)

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When it comes to adventure films for kids, the Mark Waters adaptation of Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's The Spiderwick Chronicles leaps out as one of the strongest since the The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on many levels. In particular, excellent computer effects and animation along with a lively pace keep the film version racing along while also providing some depth of character development and details of the mythology that help people who've never seen the books make sense of this elaborate, new fantasy interpretation of well-known lore. The idea is that during his lifetime, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn) unlocked the secrets of the long-believed mythical world of the forest where Pixies, Brownies, Ogres, Sprites, Trolls, Goblins, and Hobgoblins along with thousands of other creatures live their lives hidden from most human sight—we see them only when they want us to, or when a hobgoblin spits in our faces—eeewwweeee gross—granting us the sight. He recorded the entire history of everything he learned in a book. When an evil ogre, Mulgarath (Nick Nolte) became aware of the book's power, he vowed to possess it and use its secrets to assume total control of all the earth's creatures. His evil nature allowed him to stop at nothing, killing entire families to try to get at the book's knowledge. To protect his family, Arthur surrounded his home with a protective circle, charmed to repel any of Mulgarath's minions—mostly trolls, but eventually he was spirited away to a neverland of sorts by creatures who felt that his knowledge could be extracted by Mulgararth straight from his brain. Now, some 80 years later, his home has been inherited by his grand niece, Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parke) and her three children: twins Simon and Jared (both by Freddie Highmore) and Mallory (Sarah Bolger). They arrive in varying degrees resentment for being moved so far away from their friends back in New York City upon the splitting up of their parents. Jared is, by far, the most resentful and attached to their father, Richard (Andrew McCarthy). Simon is more accepting and somewhat intrigued by the turn of events. The oldest, Mallory, strives to keep an even keel and be very supportive of their mother. Shortly after arriving, Jared discovers that house is inhabited by a tiny mouselike-creature called Thimbletack (Martin Short); and, of course, he finds and reads the long-hidden and protected chronicles. Just reading the book is a huge problem because now the information in Jared's head makes him just as valuable to Mulgarath as the book. Jared's curiosity and adventurousness gets him into immediate trouble and attracts the attention of Mulgarath who realizes the book is no longer hidden away.

In total, the story for the film involves several wild-goose chases that become a bit annoying by the third one as Jared tries to solve the problem of the danger into which he's put his entire family due to his misuse of the book. While some of the special effect sequences used are thrilling, they certainly are not groundbreaking—the sorts of things we've seen in Harry Potter films, mostly. Meanwhile, with the Spiderwick home as the central focus, there's no sense of real adventure until the children finally ride aboard Arthur Spiderwick's former pet griffin. The rest of the time, the kids are battling it out with trolls in their yard with the help of a hobgoblin named Hogsqueal (Seth Rogan). Some of the scenes seem perilous, and the climax of the film involving an all-out assault on the Spiderwick home by Mulgarath and his troll army is thrilling but scary—probably too scary for children under 10.

The characters end up being a bit more interesting than first suggested, and casting Freddie Highmore as the twins was a stroke of genius as he has no trouble at all playing both Jared and Simon with distinctly different personalities. He handles it so effortlessly, and the technology works so well, one would think he really was twins. Mallory Grace, also, does a splendid job as the older sister who fences and serves as a strong-willed fighter. Mary-Louise Parker, unfortunately, seemed 'under the weather' throughout the entire film. Granted her character has just gone through a traumatic experience in the dissolution of her marriage, but she's got a new home, all of her kids, and a new job. So much for which to look forward and yet she always looks like she's about to blow a gasket or burst into tears. As the skeptical mother, she's the least believable character and delivers the least engaging performance. Dame Joan Plowright puts in a loving, if not overly confused, performance as the 80-year old Aunt Lucinda from whom Helen inherits the Spiderwick home. Likewise, David Strathairn endows Arthur Spiderwick with a scientific nonchalance that makes it possible to believe he really might abandon everything he loved in life for the pursuit of knowledge.

With some rollicking scenes and a bold new mythology, The Spiderwick Chronicles turned out to be quite good. Some repetitive elements to the plot and a finale set in such small confines, perhaps the film is not as grand as it might have been.

very good but not grand new film for pre-teens and fans of fantasy adventure.
It also focuses entirely too much on all of the bad creatures and not enough of the marvelous flower kinds resulting in a very good but not grand new film for pre-teens and fans of fantasy adventure.

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Cast Members
Freddie Highmore • Mary-Louise Parker • Nick Nolte
Sarah Bolger • Andrew McCarthy • Joan Plowright
David Strathairn • Seth Rogen • Martin Short
Director
Mark Waters
Writers
Karey Kirkpatrick • David Berenbaum • John Sayles
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Review-lite The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) [max of 150 words]
Director Mark Waters adapts The Spiderwick Chronicles into a timely adventure for pre-teens starring the extremely talented, Freddie Highmore as twins Seth and Jared Grace, the latter of which finds Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to magical creatures and unwittingly unleashes the darker creatures mentioned in the book on his home and family. With some rollicking scenes and a bright new take on old mythology, The Spiderwick Chronicles possessed some repetitive elements and a finale set, perhaps, in too small confines. It focuses a bit much on the bad creatures and not enough on the good resulting in a very good but not grand new film for pre-teens and fans of fantasy adventure.
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