| THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES |
 2008 - USADirector: Mark Waters
- Reviewed by Vickie
Based on the book series by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, the film unfolds at a big old country house, once home to eccentric scientist Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn) and his family, but which now (some 80 years later) houses his descendants: single mom Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parker) and her three kids, Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and twins Jared and Simon (Freddie Highmore in a dual role). Back in the day, Arthur researched the fantastical world around us—i.e., faeries, trolls and all manner of magical creatures not normally visible with the naked eye—and collected his findings in a leather-bound book of secrets. Problem is, a giant, malevolent creature named Mulgrath (voiced by Nick Nolte) wanted that book, and still wants it, in order to unlock the secrets and rule the world. When Jared accidentally unearths the book and slowly delves into the world his great-great uncle studied, he inadvertently opens the door to a whole whack of insanity and a humans vs. non-humans war. Soon, he and his comparatively meek twin join forces with their initially skeptical but quickly convinced big sister to battle an army of grotesque, surprisingly creepy woodland dwellers, while trying to keep the "field guide" out of the wrong hands. They're aided in their efforts by Thimbletack (voiced by Martin Short), a leprechaun-sized being who lives in the walls of the house (um, this is a huge phobia of mine, so it's a testament to the movie that I did not flee the minute he and his habits were revealed), and by Hogsqueal (voiced by Seth Rogen), a porcine lump who eats birds and has insider info on Mulgrath and crew. Compact and concise, Spiderwick maintains its energy throughout and the early scenes of the family first moving into their new old house—and gradually uncovering its history—are some of the best. There's a nice dynamic between the siblings, and between them and their mother, and it's hard to believe (listening to them in their American accents) that Highmore and Bolger both hail from across the pond (he's British, she's Irish). Parker brings a nice earthiness to her character, and Strathairn—as a man whose work gradually replaced his family—is surprisingly moving. So is Joan Plowright, who turns up in the latter half of the film as Arthur's daughter. Effects-wise, they're pretty good. Not mind-blowing, but pretty good and certainly enough to wow the film's target audience of the under-12 set. Speaking of which, there are quite a few really scary scenes in the movie... scenes where I'm fairly sure younger children will burst into tears. Heck, I'm a grown-up and they kind of weirded me out; I shudder to think at the reaction a six-year-old will have to, say, Mulgrath morphing from a creepy old man into a giant, horned monster, or the kids being chased through the underground by a "mole troll." (For me, and for obvious reasons, nothing was more frightening than Thimbletack.) While Spiderwick can't match the budget or the execution of bigger-scale fare like the Narnia or Harry Potter films, it's definitely a cut above some more recent fare and an entertaining adventure flick that will no doubt spawn a few sequels. DVD NOTESThe 2-Disc Field Guide Edition DVD release of the The Spiderwick Chronicles has extras galore, to the point where they are exhausting (or exhaustive?). Extras include, among others, "It's A Spiderwick World" (interviewing the author of the books), "Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide," cast interviews in "Spiderwick: Meet the Clan," a making-of featurette, and a bunch of deleted scenes. |
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Given the abundance of B-grade children's films based on books that
have made their way to the big screen of late (