Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures. Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames it all on Jared. When he, Simon and Mallory investigate what's really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate and of the creatures that inhabit it. A book of all the secrets of the unseen world, compiled by their great uncle Arthur Spiderwick, is the reason a battle begins between the family Grace and the goblins of the world. Based on the collection of books by Toni Diterlizzi and Holly Black.Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Sarah Bolger
and the voices of Nick Nolte, Seth Rogen, and Martin Short
Rating: PG
A slight disclaimer to start. The authors of the books composed them from stories they received from a family much like the one in the books. The authors describe these as true stories and that the world of fairies and goblins exists just beyond our sight. That said, let’s all use our finely tuned sense of reality and simply look at this as any other fanciful tale that comes across the big screen.The story is told from young Jared’s perspective. Jared and twin brother Simon are played by one of the greatest young actors I’ve seen in a long time in Freddie Highmore. The way he plays Simon and Jared as completely different characters is a skill that many, like Lindsay Lohan in “The Parent Trap”, haven’t quite figured out. He plays Jared perfectly as the young rebel who is soon entrusted with the fate of the world and Simon as the quirky brother who is soon dragged along for the ride. Their older sister is played by Sarah Bolger and their mother by Mary-Louise Parker. Both deliver fairly forgettable performances but don’t detract from the story as a whole. Nick Nolte provides the voice of Mulgarath, the evil goblin king. Nothing special here but the character definitely works. There are two phenomenal voice talents at play in this story. Seth Rogen provides the voice of Hogsqueal and Martin Short the same for Thimbletack. You’ll love both of these characters by the end of the film.
This movie is what I thought “Bridge to Terabithia” was going to be, a fantasy tale that isn’t hindered by the creatures. The visual effects aren’t anything that will blow your mind but they are done very well. Everything, from the evil goblin captain, with his pirate hat, to the smallest fairies who disguise themselves as flowers, look excellent and don’t pull your attention away from the story itself. Mulgarath is a little overly done. His tree like appearance is a slight eyesore in the final scenes but the transitions he makes between forms are seamless.
I would recommend this film for kids and adults alike. If you are a fan of fantasy then see this movie. You may want to keep younger kids away because of frightening fantasy violence and green goblin explosions. Also, there is one use of the phrase, “What the h***” used by Jared Grace. Other than that the film is family friendly and should be enjoyed by all.I recommend that everyone CATCH IT and I give it two Buckets of Popcorn.
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