04/21/2013 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

The Spiderwick Chronicles review

Freddie Highmore portrays Jared/Simon Grace, together with Sarah Bolger as Mallory, discover goblins. An ogre named Mulgarath (Nick Nolte) wants the book garnered by Jared. Aunt Lucinda explains the incident about her father. Hogsqueal (Seth Rogen) helps Jared. Its humor was somewhat forced and background of the menacing ogre was not that delved into. Pace was sluggish in the first half and the mixture of drama, fairytale and adventure felt albeit confusing. Highmore shows potential in his dual role and the screenplay was provocative enough. Special effects and score were wonderful. Best lines would be from Arthur Spiderwick - "I was so captivated by all the magical creatures I found that I lost sight of the one I already had." and Helen Grace - "I was trying to protect you, but I...

Rating of
3/4 

08/30/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Has Something Magical to Offer

Even though it doesn’t feel as epic as the “Harry Potter,” “His Dark Materials” and “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, “The Spiderwick Chronicles” has something magical to offer. Freddie Highmore plays two characters–twins Jared Grace and Simon Grace–the former is tougher, more adventurous, while the latter is more soft-spoken and a bit geeky. It’s interesting to watch Highmore play the two because they are so opposite, yet he could pull it off pretty well. Not only are the characters different in personalities, their contributions in order to defeat the evil creatures differed as well. Sarah Bolger, who plays Mallory Grace, is a nice addition because she has that sword-wielding, older sister, girl-power. Interestingly enough, the mother, played by Mary-Louise Parker, was kind of irksome ...

Rating of
3/4 

02/25/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

We all die bye bye

The Spiderwick's trailer was not as strong as the movie. At the first you might think it’s another one of those fantasy-ish types that would not even scratch your expectations. Because as of now you would say almost everything has been like been there done that sort of thing. But surprising as it is the Spiderwick Chronicles holds up to much of my expectations. If I would to compare it to other big names in this category, I would compare to a small scale LOTR. I know it’s a big shoe to fill, but believed me when I say that the comparison is uncanny. The fact that LOTR's budget exceeds the wick's chronicles by a humongous sum, it doesn't prevent it from telling a good story. Even the effects where mild and simple, but then sometimes you only need simplicity to see true beauty. There are al...

Rating of
3/4 

02/16/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Fun family-friendly fantasy

The plot is that of your typical children’s fantasy, but it keeps things brisk and doesn’t let its familiarity become a crutch. A lot of explanation is required to explain the various creatures and what they do, but it avoids the faults of other recent fantasy pics by not dropping their name once and then assuming viewers will catch up. The real world is melded with the fantastical elements quite well; the reasoning behind the creatures’ existence and why most people cannot see them is convincingly illustrated, and does lead to some shocking moments late in the film.

It is successful, in no small part, to the charisma and likeability of Bolger and Highmore. Highmore in particular continues his streak of being the most sympathetic and emotive of the wide-eyed child actors out there...

Rating of
3/4