A paranoid thriller about a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity.

In this English-language remake of a deconstruction in the way violence is portrayed in the media, a family settles into its vacation home, which happens to be the next stop for a pair of young, articulate, white-gloved serial killers on an excursion through the neighborhood. Written by MuzikJunky

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Loaded with terrific performances, beautifully rendered CGI creatures, and directed with finesse by Mark Waters (Mean Girls), The Spiderwick Chronicles is a hugely entertaining fantasy film for the whole family (except maybe those under 5 who may be scared silly by Nick Nolte and/or the hideous ogre he plays). While some fantasy films overwhelm the actors with their extensive use of computer generated imagery - the CGI work can overpower the flesh and blood actors, no matter how powerful or engaging the performances - The Spiderwick Chronicles manages to work the CGI creatures seamlessly into the film. The special effects, which are as good as any we’ve seen, never eclipse the film’s human actors. Director Waters and screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, and John Sayles have created a movie that’s very much grounded in reality, as strange as that sounds, even though half of its inhabitants are mythical creatures.

The Story

Fairies, goblins, griffins, and assorted beasties do exist according to the world of The Spiderwick Chronicles. Twins Jared and Simon along with sister Mallory (a whiz with a sword) find out things that go bump in the night can actually do harm when they move into the creaky old house once occupied by their great-great uncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn) and his daughter (Joan Plowright).

Arthur Spiderwick spent his adult life investigating and documenting the strange creatures most people have no idea exist. All of his research and hard work is contained in a journal he called Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. Jared, the twin who’s always in some kind of trouble, finds the book hidden away in an old trunk while chasing down a noise in the wall. The noise turns out to be a house brownie named Thimbletack (voiced by Martin Short). The honey-loving creature tells Jared to stay away from the book, but his words fall on deaf ears. Although there’s a warning attached to the book, Jared breaks open the sealed volume and dives in, reading the text throughout the night.

This book is so valuable that Arthur was abducted by creatures and kept in a state of suspended animation for decades in order to keep him away from evil goblins, led by the horrible Mulgarath (Nick Nolte), who want to possess its knowledge. If Mulgarath gets his hands on the book, he’ll be able to destroy all the fairies and other extraordinary critters.

The book itself is safe as long as it remains within the protective circle which surrounds the Spiderwick estate. But after Jared’s curiosity gets the best of him, Mulgarath quickly learns Arthur isn’t the only one with complete knowledge of his secret world. Unwittingly, Jared puts his entire family at risk and it’s up to the three Grace kids to outsmart an age-old ogre and restore order to the fairy universe.

The Cast

Freddie Highmore plays both twins and while it must have been a schizophrenic experience figuring out who to be and where to look during filming, the fact it’s the same actor in both roles is, thankfully, in no way distracting. Jared and Simon are the main characters and one or both are on the screen for the majority of the film, and if Highmore pulling double duty was either confusing or too gimmicky, Spiderwick Chronicles would have been just another poor film adaptation of a best-selling book series. But Highmore’s got the talent to make it work and he does so while pulling off a decent American accent.

Highmore’s main support onscreen comes in the form of Sarah Bolger who really brings the put-upon older sister part to life (Bolger has mastered the irritated glare). Strathairn, Plowright, Nolte, and Weeds star Mary-Louise Parker as the mom are all strong in supporting roles. Add in voice work by Martin Short as the honey-chugging angry little Thimbletack and Seth Rogen as Hogsqueal the bird-eating beastie and it’s impossible to find a weak link in the entire group.

The Bottom Line

Family issues such as dealing with divorce and sibling rivalry are just as important to the Spiderwick Chronicles story as the battle between the Grace kids and Mulgarath and his legion of goblins. There are plenty of action sequences to keep the story speeding along, but time’s also taken to develop the characters into real children facing real problems. While real kids don’t have to worry about an ogre breaking into their home or learn how to ride a griffin in order to rescue a long-lost family member, there’s a lot to relate to with the three Grace kids.

Tasked to condense The Spiderwick Chronicles book series into one film, screenwriters Kirkpatrick, Berenbaum, and Sayles were able to remain true to the spirit of Tony DiTerlizzi’s and Holly Black’s kid-friendly books. The movie version of The Spiderwick Chronicles is an engaging, adventurous tale filled with all sorts of intriguing and entertaining characters. It’s one film the entire family can take in together and that’s something you can’t often say. Even those that are supposedly family-friendly productions often play out over the heads of the younger audience or bore adults to tears. Fortunately, The Spiderwick Chronicles does neither.

Rebecca Murray
Hollywood Movies Guide

Teen discovers that puberty for him means he turns into a werewolf. One of the beneficial side effects is that it also turns him into a top-notch basketball player. But will his notoriety cost him his friends and can he find true love? Written by Ray Hamel {hamel@primate.wisc.edu}

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Recidivist hold-up man H.I. McDonnough and police woman Edwina marry, only to discover they are unable to conceive a child. Desperate for a baby, the pair decide to kidnap one of the quintuplets of furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona. The McDonnoughs try to keep their crime secret, while friends, co-workers and a feral bounty hunter look to use Nathan Jr. for their own purposes. Written by Scott Renshaw {as.idc@forsythe.stanford.edu}

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A mid-western farm boy reluctantly becomes a member of the undead when a girl he meets turns out to be part of a band of southern vampires who roam the highways in stolen cars. Part of his initiation includes a bloody assault on a hick bar. Written by Keith Loh {loh@sfu.ca}

During the Great Depression, a common-man hero, James J. Braddock–a.k.a. the Cinderella Man–was to become one of the most surprising sports legends in history. By the early 1930s, the impoverished ex-prizefighter was seemingly as broken-down, beaten-up and out-of-luck as much of the rest of the American populace who had hit rock bottom. His career appeared to be finished, he was unable to pay the bills, the only thing that mattered to him–his family–was in danger, and he was even forced to go on Public Relief. But deep inside, Jim Braddock never relinquished his determination. Driven by love, honor and an incredible dose of grit, he willed an impossible dream to come true. In a last-chance bid to help his family, Braddock returned to the ring. No one thought he had a shot. However Braddock, fueled by something beyond mere competition, kept winning. Suddenly, the ordinary working man became the mythic athlete. Carrying the hopes and dreams of the disenfranchised on his shoulders, Braddock rocketed through the ranks, until this underdog chose to do the unthinkable: take on the heavyweight champ of the world, the unstoppable Max Baer, renowned for having killed two men in the ring. Written by Sujit R. Varma

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Anna is a young and elegant wife of Mr. Karenin, who is wealthy and old. She meets the handsome Count Vronsky. Anna and Vronsky fall in love with each other, and he comes to be with her in St. Petersburg. They are very happy together and make a great looking couple, but soon their happiness gets under social pressures. Anna is hopelessly begging Mr. Karenin for a divorce, but he wants to keep the mother of their child. She has another baby born from her lover Vronsky. Conflict between her untamed desires and painful reality causes her a depression and suicidal thoughts. Written by Steve Shelokhonov

The Wildcats are back. They start off getting out of school, where Shar Pay makes sure Troy has job at her country club. Troy then in returns gets everyone else a job at the country club too. Gabrielle is the new lifeguard, while Troy, Chad, and the others work in the kitchen. At the country club there is a talent show, which Sharpay and Ryan win every year. Kelsie had written a song for Troy and Gabrielle to sing at the talent show, which later on Sharpay takes (at a faster tempo) for her and Troy to sing at the talent show. Sharpay plots to take Troy away from Gabrielle,by getting him a better job than the rest of the Wildcats. Troy starts changing, all for a “scholarship”, starting to act like a jerk, which results in Gabrielle breaking up with Troy, saying she doesn’t belong there. After Troy loses all his friends, because he began acting like a jerk and had found out that Sharpay had made it where no Junior Staffers can perform in the talent show, he decides to do something about it, and asks for his old job back with the rest of his friends and quits the talent show leaving Sharpay with nothing, since she had ditched her brother to perform with Troy. She then goes back to Ryan, who had been working with the Junior Staffers on an act, who then leaves her saying she always wanted the spotlight, now she has it. Troy ends up doing the talent show, thinking that he would be performing with Sharpay. He learns a new song within a matter of minutes. Written by Anonymous

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A young boy, recently orphaned, is taken to England by his grandmother. At a hotel in which they are staying, a group of witches have gathered to prepare a plot to rid the world of all children. Written by Rob Hartill