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Actors:

Sarah Bolger
Freddie Highmore
David Strathairn
Nick Nolte
Mary-Louise Parker
Joan Plowright

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12/28/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Waiting for another Chapter

Fast paced and entertaining; everything Jumanji wasn't.

I enjoyed each of the young actors' performances and their relationship with their mother and her not believing was very organic and believable to the film. Mary-Louise Parker may have gone over the top occasionally in her performance but not enough that it took away from enjoying the film.

The special effects were great and made each of the creatures the children encountered seem real; characters I really cared about and occasionally they made me laugh.

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 

07/26/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Good, but Nothing New

This movie was good, but with elements of The Neverending Story, ET, and Narnia thrown in, nothing we haven't seen before. The visual effects were neat and the little creatures looked awesome. James Horner did a wonderful job as always with the score.

Rating of
3/4 

05/22/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Basically, Fantasy Garbage, with terrible writing

This film wasn't nearly as bad as expected, but it still couldn't deliver. The lead character 'Jared Grace' played by the young Freddie Highmore, is a young annoying prick-brat who hates anything that doesn't go his way. In typical non-original (yet usually satisfying) manner, he is suddenly whisked off into a new great world of fantasy. The story isn't original at all, but it does decent for the genre. Creature designs aren't imaginitve, but are well-rendered. This could have been a lot better if the ending wasn't so forced and simple.

Rating of
1.5/4