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).
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.
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
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.
GRADE: B
The Spiderwick Chronicles was directed by Mark Waters and is rated PG for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements.
Theatrical Release Date: February 14, 2008
