Review of The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) by James S — 17 Dec 2010

Plundering the mine of children's fantasy literature can be a risky venture in the movie business. There are many great books out there but all too often, film makers seem confused over what to do with them, as in the case of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events which while it become a very good movie was severely altered from it's source material, or they are quashed by the box office juggernaut of Harry Potter.

The Spiderwick Chronicles was a film which slipped by largely unnoticed but one which is a pleasant viewing experience. Freddie Highmore is a reliable young lead, being one of the few things that was good about Tim Burton's take on Willy Wonka, and is on fine form as the boy who unwittingly unleashes the secrets of a book which an ogre is after so he can destroy the world. It's fairly typical as far as children's fantasy goes but that matters not as the end result is consistently entertaining.

At times the film jumps as bit wildly from one plot point to the next but the creature effects are good and there is a considerable amount of gore for a family movie. There is one part which would summon a muttering of "coooool" from even the most hardened gore hounds.

A smattering a humour works well for the film too and although this is not as entertaining overall as the Lemony Snicket film or Potter movies 3 and 6, it is well worth watching.