The Spiderwick Chronicles

Never underestimate the power of a child’s imagination. That’s what the excellent, fantastical family fun adventure The Spiderwick Chronicles effectively illustrates. Based on the popular book series, the film enraptures, regardless of age. It’s a treat to get lost in this film and its fairies, ogres, hobgoblins, and other assorted creatures of another realm.

Freddie Highmore does double duty and is doubly sweet in the roles of twin brothers Jared and Simon, the former who gets blamed for all the hijinks that occur in the old, rickety ancestral home that he, his brother, newly single mother, and older sister inhabit after their father leaves. Jared hears noises behind the walls of the house and discovers a dumbwaiter that leads him to a secret room and his great uncle’s field guide to the fantastical world. The book is coveted by both good and evil factions in the other world, and it's Jared’s gig to protect it at all costs. Jared and his family are given the ability to see the creatures through a looking glass rock with a hole in it and when Hogsqueal the Hobgoblin spits in their eyes. It's a simple metaphor, symbolizing that anyone can be privy to chimerical visions according to how they utilize the gift of sight.

Like E.T., the young male protaganist is sucked into a world he doesn’t quite understand at first, and comes out the other side with knowledge that drives his quest to convince others to believe. The power of imagination is not a novel concept in children-centric fare, but The Spiderwick Chronicles encourages its young hero to "use the force" and realize that, in the end, it’s not about the book's contents, but rather how he wields what he learned from possessing and reading it. Convincing CGI animation makes the otherworldly goblins and creatures in The Spiderwick Chronicles visually authentic enough to allow us to suspend belief and pretend that that they do indeed exist, at least for a limited hour-and-a-half.

Seth Rogen is perfect as the raspy voice of the portly, bird-gobbling pig, while David Strathairn and Joan Plowright are heavyweights who light up their limited screen time with their roles. The duo’s caliber adds depth and weight to the film, with their regal air elevating the material from "kid’s fluff" to a feature that supports the notion that a child can learn valuable lessons and pass them onto adults. This is deftly illustrated during the scene where the shapeshifting ogre pretends to be the kids’ MIA dad. Jared knows better and doesn’t fall for the ruse, instead stabbing the monster in an act of brave and gutsy character development.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a delightful treasure that celebrates what it’s like to be a kid with an undaunted, untainted ability to believe in what’s not always visible to the naked eye.

— Amy Sciarretto
06.09.08

Freddie Highmore adds to his extensive prepubescent resumé with The Spiderwick Chronicles, an engaging and occasionally touching fantasy that's refreshing for what it isn't: a 21st century Jumanji. Playing twins, the young actor shows veteran maturity by giving them distinct personalities, instead of forcing audiences to differentiate them by the color of their shirts. That Highmore's work takes top billing in this analysis, rather than the film's fantasy world and digital creature effects, is not a slight to that world or those effects -- rather, it explains why The Spiderwick Chronicles is a bit more memorable than other fantasies intended for a tween audience. There's a solid emotional core here, to complement the sprites and goblins that literally come out of the woodwork when Jared Grace disregards the warnings and opens the titular tome. Feeling abandoned by an absent father, Jared carries on a bristling relationship with his mother (Mary-Louise Parker), and some genuine anguish passes between their characters. Perhaps this injection of realism can be attributed to indie filmmaker John Sayles, whose surprise screenwriting credit may have something to do with the actor cast to play Arthur Spiderwick: David Strathairn, Sayles' longtime collaborator. Fans of the popular books that inspired the film (authored by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi) should be pretty happy with the way director Mark S. Waters has visualized the design details of this world. The entries in Spiderwick's Field Guide place the viewer in a willing mythozoological mindset, and the characters that spring forth -- while not drastically different from those seen in other films indebted to J.R.R. Tolkien -- are lively enough to help shape and build the story's mythology. The film's February release may have prevented it from growing into a bigger hit, but The Spiderwick Chronicles is satisfying escapism with a lingering presence. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide