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I enjoyed the original Spiderwick Chronicles books quite a bit -- although I find the whole "chapter book" format to be a little problematic -- and was looking forward to the movie version.The film has nice production values and Freddie Highmore does a good job of carrying much of the movie, ably abetted by a solid supporting cast.But while some changes made to the books were necessary -- the digression with the dwarves would have only served to slow the whole thing down, and elves don't seem nearly as magical as the sylphs in the film -- shifting the focus from all three Grace children to one was a mistake, in my mind, especially since the producers clearly were hoping for a Harry Potter-style film franchise.Instead of each child getting their moment to shine and contribute to saving the family (and the community), Jared's tale as an angry child in the wake of a confusing divorce takes center stage instead. While this isn't bad, it turns the other children into sidekicks, whose lines mostly consist of "what should we do, Jared." It's particularly frustrating that the book authors gave children an active, athletic female character -- instead of the bookish Hermione Granger types who are more common -- and the producers took her away, for the most part.Still, it's an enjoyable film, particularly for elementary school aged children. Viewers who enjoy the film should pick up the books, where they'll get to see all three Grace children as heroes, rather than as sidekicks.
In "The Spiderwick Chronicles," based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, a mother and her three children move into a cobweb-infested ancestral home, only to find the property already occupied by an assortment of goblins, ogres, griffins, fairies and sprites that the children's great-great uncle, Arthur Spiderwick, discovered living there a century earlier.While the very youngest in the audience may be freaked out by the movie's intense action sequences and occasionally rather gruesome imagery, their older siblings will likely be drawn in by the darker tone and the self-aggrandizing nature of the kids-to-the-rescue scenario. Most adults, however, will probably find less than meets the eye in what is, essentially, a domesticated version of the "Narnia" movies. Still, what DOES meet the eye is often quite impressive, and the reassuring presence of such acting stalwarts as Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright and David Strathaim in minor roles goes a long way towards mitigating the rather mundane nature of the material.
Think of it as "Home Alone - with goblins, sprites and bogles, oh my." And a griffin and a uncouth pig-like creature whose spit-in-the-eye (yeeech). The look and atmosphere of this movie is lush and believable; the various creatures are fully-realized, and some of the sequences - especially those involving the sprites - are just dazzlingly beautiful. The Spiderwick Chronicles critters make Ray Harryhousen's stop-action creations in Jason and the Argonauts look as basic as a simple pencil sketch animated by flipping pages.The extras are lavish, most of them included on a second disc. As far as young Jared is concerned, he has been dragged kicking and screaming away from the city and his father by his newly divorced mother. The most interesting, technically speaking is how the special effects critters were designed and generated - at a cost of much computer and tech-hours, of course. Angry, resentful and with a hasty temper, he is still the one who finds the dumb-waiter hidden behind a plastered wall, the secret study upstairs and sealed book - possession of which drives the whole rest of the story. makes all the unseen world around a spooky old Addams-family house out in the middle of the north woods visible for twins Jared and Simon and their sister Mallory. It is purely amazing how far this sort of thing has come.
For the book was the creation of naturalist Arthur Spiderwick, and there in loving and minute detail is everything about all the creatures, great and small, helpful and malign who inhabit that secret and unseen world. Based on the popular book series by Tony DiTerllizi and Holly Black, the movie is exactly what young book-fans would have been waiting for. The cast interviews come as a little surprise - here we have an American fairy tale, and the two child stars are from the British Isles, and the location shoots were in Canada. In the very near future, movie makers may well be able to get along without live actors all together, at the light-speed rate that effects generation animation is barreling along.
The film felt like too much was being crammed into a short period of time. I'm always a little twitchy when books are made film. While Highmore was wonderful as Jared, I found Parker to be not so different from other mother roles she's had, meaning she did well in it but was not exploring new territory. Not having read the books, I can't help but wonder how the film measures. It moves terribly quickly, with the feel of segues missing and of characters unconvincingly persuaded to believe unbelievable things. The visual effects of the film are intriguing, the overall plot entertaining. As it was meant for children the film will likely greatly appeal to children.
Freddie Highmore is a charming young actor whose acting I enjoy and I've always loved children's fantasy stories. It's good for adults to be in touch their inner child. This one was interesting in the fact that it was a little different from most.
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