When the Grace family moves into an old, eccentric-looking, Victorian mansion, their lives change in more than a few odd ways. Noises in the walls, odd pranks, and missing items are blamed on innocent Jared, who takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of the mysteries. While searching for answers, he finds a secret study that belonged to his great uncle Arthur Spiderwick, filled with all sorts of magical things, including a book entitled, Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. And although a note on the book warns against reading it, with a title like that, what child wouldn’t break the seal and peruse its pages? Inside, Jared learns the secrets of a fantasy faerie world that has gone unnoticed by humans for centuries: that a boggart is responsible for the pranks in the house, and creatures like goblins, faeries, and sprites are very real. But he also learns that there is an evil ogre, Mulgarath, who will stop at nothing to obtain the book. Now, because of Jared’s curiosity, he is thrust into the task of keeping the book safe from Mulgarath, no matter what.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is a beloved book series by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. Since the children’s books are extremely short reads, all five books in the series are covered in this single film. It’s rare, these days, to find a single, fantasy film instead of a multi-film franchise (like Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia), and I thought it would be nice to sit through one story and have all the answers concluded at the end. However, I was very disappointed. There are so many questions and gaping holes that I actually wanted to give the film only two stars. There is an incredibly weak plot that, unbelievably, only takes place within one or two days in the film version. The characters are little more than stereotypes: the bossy sister, the opposite twins (one shy and obedient, the other a rebel), and the mom that doesn’t ever listen to what her kids are saying. The story ends up being little more than an unoriginal, hour-long, backyard adventure, one that any child could have dreamed up in seconds.
PROS
The film does entertain its target audience and, at times, has beautiful animation and suspenseful adventure. The faeries are gorgeous and intriguing, but we only get to see them for a few seconds. A scene where the Grace children are carried off by a griffon is probably the most entrancing part of the movie.
There are a few family-related issues: divorce, anger-management, honesty, denial, etc. They are dealt with gently and tastefully, however some might argue that the issues are forced, stereotypical, and watered-down.
CONS
I’ve enjoyed Freddie Highmore’s acting immensely in other films (Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) but in this one, his portrayal of Simon is less like a shy, animal-lover and more like a sissy, old man. While applause must be given for playing both twins, Jared and Simon, he has a hard time with an American accent–several times his English accent slips through and it’s quite obvious and laughable. In fact, the entire family is supposed to be from New York yet none of the characters have a New York accent. Such an obvious lack of attention to detail by the director leads me to think he views this film as a quick buck.
There are several instances of crude language, although it is usually fleeting. When the brownie, Thimbletack, gets angry and turns into a boggart, his lines are just shy of swearing. Jared says, “What the hell?” on one occasion, and a goblin almost says the S-word, though it’s very obvious and brings giggles from the kids.
There are a few frightening images, especially when we see Mulgarath, who resembles a devil, try to kill Jared’s family. At one point, it appears that Jared stabs his father, but we find out it was only Mulgarath disguised as Mr. Grace.
OVERALL
There are tunnels, secrets, and magic–three things that should make up a great story for fantasy lovers but the film just doesn’t deliver. If your child is a fan of the books, he or she will probably enjoy the film. For everyone else, it’s extremely short and forgettable.