by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
B+ Rated PG 97 Minutes
Animated features aren’t the only kid-friendly
game in town. Following in the footsteps of fantasy
fi lms like Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of
Narnia comes The Spiderwick Chronicles, an adventure
fl ick that does a great job of introducing younger
moviegoers to the fantasy genre. The Spiderwick
Chronicles arrives in theaters and IMAX this week.
The Grace kids have it rough these days. Their
parents recently divorced and the fi nancial strain
of single parenthood has forced their mom, Helen
(Mary-Louise Parker), to move them into their greataunt’s
dilapidated mansion, Spiderwick Estate. The
eldest sibling, Mallory (Sarah Bolger), has come
to terms with the move and so has nine-year old
Simon. But Simon’s twin Jared (both played by Freddie
Highmore) has taken their parents’ split and the
relocation extremely hard. As the more complacent
Grace children settle in, Jared begins to explore
the old house and immediately realizes something
isn’t quite right at Spiderwick Estate. Stumbling
upon a special book in a hidden room clues Jared
in to what’s going on – there is a secret world fi lled
with fantastic creatures right under our noses and
the book is the key to unlocking all of that world’s
secrets. It’s an exciting discovery, but not without
its dangers. By simply opening the book, Jared has
awakened all of the creatures in this alternate realm,
including Mulgrath (Nick Nolte), a shape-shifting
ogre who is determined to learn the secrets hidden
in the book and use them to take over his world and
ours. In order to stop him, Jared must join forces
with a brownie (an adorable house elf voiced by
Martin Short), a hobgoblin (Seth Rogan) and his
doubting siblings.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on a series
of children’s fantasy books by Tony Diterlizzi and
Holly Black. The fi lm covers virtually the entire fi vebook
series but leaves some wiggle room should
it make enough money to garner a sequel. Based
on early reviews and my family’s own experience, I
have a feeling subsequent visits with the Grace clan
may be in our future.
Before I lavish the fi lm with praise, I have to
admit it was not without its low points. Highmore,
while a fi ne young actor otherwise, doesn’t play
well opposite himself. His delivery in scenes where
Jared and Simon speak to each other is just off. The
words feel too rehearsed, the reactions a little too
big. It doesn’t help that the expositional dialogue
in the beginning of the fi lm is clunky and contrived
and nearly every syllable is uttered by one Freddie
Highmore to another. Thankfully, as the fi lm goes on
and Highmore is separated from himself, things take
a positive turn.
When Highmore is interacting with cast
members other than himself he does a terrifi c job
with both characters. Bolger also holds her own. A
fantasy fi lm like this really relies heavily on its use of
effects to make its strange new world a reality. The
CGI in The Spiderwick Chronicles is great – not so
cartoony that it feels out of place but not so realistic
that little ones in the audience will be terrifi ed of
what may be lurking in the shadows once they leave
the theater. My kids, ages 4 and 6, were absolutely
spellbound by the fi lm from beginning to end but
did say that it was a little scary at times. That was,
however, their only complaint. Both kids talked excitedly
about their favorite parts (my daughter adored
the fairies, of course, while my son was partial to
the loogie-spitting hobgoblin Hogsqueal – yes, my
kids are that cliché) and loved the idea of reading the
books together.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is a wonderful children’s
adventure fi lm. While it may not be suitable
for the youngest of moviegoers, particularly those
who are sensitive to snarling CGI monsters, the fl ick
will please school-aged kids and their parents with
its inventive story and imaginative creatures. Freddie
Highmore is no Patty Duke but the performances
are pretty good and the characters are relatable and
worth getting to know. The fi lm certainly isn’t as
“epic” as the fantasy offerings that came before it,
but it is well worth seeing on the big screen.
Article Published in the 2-14-08 Issue of EU Jacksonville
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