The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

O Masterpiece
O Excellent
X Rental
O OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / February 22, 2008

“The Spiderwick Chronicles” is a surprisingly entertaining fantasy that exceeded my expectations. I can comfortably recommend it as a rental for your family, provided your children aren’t too young. Though it’s rated PG, “The Spiderwick Chronicles” should definitely be PG-13. It is violent, has mild gore (but gore nevertheless) and frightening, mythical monsters, such as trolls, goblins and ogres. I don’t want to dismiss this PG-13 assessment too lightly; there is a scene where a child sticks a knife in an adult’s chest. It’s a little shocking, to say the least, especially for a PG movie. (See my review of “Fool’s Gold,” fifth paragraph.)

About 80 years ago, an astute man named Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn) compiled an incredible record of remarkable information. In this book he catalogued all of the typically unseen creatures, pleasant and unpleasant, which inhabit our unobservant world. The author titled his book “Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You,” and it was his life’s work.

Decades later, in the present-day, Spiderwick’s relatives move into his long-since-abandoned house. A mother (Mary-Louise Parker), her daughter Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and two twin sons, Simon and Jared (both played by Freddie Highmore) quickly learn that their home has an unsettling (and unsettled) history.

When Jared discovers a book that he is warned not to read, he reads it anyway. (Naturally, he’s a teenager.) Strange events begin to take place, including a reawakening of an 80-year-old war: It turns out than an evil ogre named Mulgarath (Nick Nolte) desperately wants Spiderwick’s Field Guide, so he can learn the temperate creatures’ secrets and destroy them.

But Jared and his family have a helper named Thimbletack (Martin Short), guardian of the Field Guide. Now, this Thimbletack creature is easily the neatest character in the film. He’s a tiny, elfish-looking guy whose temper turns him green, much like the Incredible Hulk. At which point, he can only be appeased with honey. Cute.

“The Spiderwick Chronicles” has common threads with “The Neverending Story” (1984), “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (2005), “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the many “Harry Potter” movies. Chances are, if you liked those, you’ll like this.

What impressed me about “The Spiderwick Chronicles” was its dark notes. There are fluffy fantasies where everything is rainbows and lollipops, except for a solitary antagonist. In these cases, good and evil is black and white, cut and dried.

And then there are fantasy worlds that are parallel with our own, which means they are complicated, and good and evil are intricately entangled. We get examples of this when we find out what happened to the kids’ father, or when we see Aunt Lucinda’s (Joan Plowright) arm.

With fantasy worlds like that, sometimes you’re better off sticking with the real world.

Directed by Mark Waters
Freddie Highmore / David Strathairn / Martin Short
Fantasy 97 min.
MPAA: PG (for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements)

U.S. Release Date: February 14, 2008
Copyright 2008: 243