The Spiderwick Chronicles
February 26th 2008 23:18
Based on a series of books by the same name, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is a vibrant film adaptation that shows the world around us, filled with magical creatures.
We're all used to the story: a mother, a daughter and twin boys move into a decrepit old house outside a small country town in New England. Naturally, things are not as they seem, the troublesome son gets blamed for things that he didn't do, and he finds a book that tells him that there's magical creatures all around them.
The house was given to them by their aunt, who was put away in the insane asylum for claiming that her father was abducted by pixies. Naturally, she turns out to be un-insane, her father, Arthur Spiderwick, author of the book, was, in fact, abducted by pixies.
The series of books is immensely popular with young children, who love to daydream about finding magical creatures in the real world. I used to feverishly hope that there were creatures around us, and I'd imagine my after-school adventures with them.
Looking at the website for the series, one gets the impression that the novels are quite fleshed out in their Universe. The movie, on the other hand, rushes through the series, working its way through the plot like a runaway train.
It's a heavy movie, too - dark and foreboding, with plenty of nasty creatures to give you a shock. Taking on the techniques of Harry Potter, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" offers audiences a dark story, with plenty of creepy, hidden shadows. As Roger Ebert wrote in his review:
"But I do know the PG classification is insane, especially considering what happens right after a father says he loves his son. This is a PG-13 movie, for sure. But what will cause nightmares for younger kids will delight older ones, since "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is a well-crafted family thriller that is truly scary and doesn't wimp out."
From the end credits, I suspect that the movie was filmed in Quebec, which gives us the beautiful forest scenery, with the unbeatable autumn colours. The filmmakers used CGI to create the creatures, and the combination works well, with the goblins and trolls looking suitably gnarled and knotted.
"The Spiderwick Chronicles" is, perhaps, lost on me, as I'm heavily skeptical of movies where young kids save the day. After all, I was a kid, and I never saved the day even once. Still, children are likely to bite into the story, and be captivated by the procession of beautifully rendered creatures.
I say: One to take your kids, or nieces and nephews, to and watch their little cherubic faces light up with glee. Adults should be charmed by the splendid visuals, but I just can't handle those child actors. This is definitely a movie that I wouldn't normally go to see.
See it for: The Spiderwick Estate is a fabulously ancient haunted house that I'd never go near at night.
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