movie review
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Goblins and Faeries and Trolls, Oh My!
Based on the best-selling children’s books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, “The Spiderwick Chronicles” tells the tale of three young siblings and the goblins, faeries, trolls, griffins, brownies, and other creatures that live in the woods nearby.
This movie is everything that “Bridge to Terabithia” was not. I went into that movie expecting to be taken into a fantasy world populated by fairytale creatures, and that’s just what this movie delivers.
It begins with young Jared (Freddie Highmore) moving into a creepy old mansion with his newly divorced mom (Mary-Louise Parker), feisty sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), and mellower twin brother Simon (also Highmore). It doesn’t help that Jared’s dad seems to have written off the family – won’t return calls and makes promises he never keeps.
Jared immediately gets blamed for a series of pranks, including tying his sister’s long hair to her bedpost while she sleeps. He takes refuge in the house, exploring the dark passageways and ending up in a secret room where his great-uncle, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn), experimented with potions and kept a strange diary filled with lively drawings of faeries and goblins.
In fact, it’s a field guide to all the various creatures who reside on the property. Jared opens the book—despite a note on the cover warning against it—and now must protect it from falling into the hands of shape-shifting ogre Mulgarath (voiced by Nick Nolte). If that happens, it will put everyone—creatures and humans alike—in grave danger.
Soon enough, Jared brings his siblings in on the secret, and they’re on a quest to set things right. The adventure takes them into dark tunnels, into the nearby village, and to the rest home where Arthur’s now-80-year-old daughter (Joan Plowright) resides.
The kids are helped by Thimbletack (voiced by Martin Short), an elf-like brownie who morphs into an angry little guy when provoked (but settles back down with a dose of honey). By the way, he’s the culprit of the aforementioned pranks. And there’s also Hogsqueal (voiced by Seth Rogen), a friendly goblin who has a thing for tasty birds.
I love the sepia-toned colors, the CG effects that bring the creatures to life, the lilting musical score, and all the playful elements—flowers that turn into beautiful faeries and pixie-dust that engulfs characters and spirits them away.
Highmore is brilliant, as always (are there no other young male actors in Hollywood?), and Bolger hits all the right notes as the feisty sister. All in all, this movie is an enchanting tale that’s both fun and fantastical!
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