Movie Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a fantasy story suitable for children and adults of all ages, based on the best selling Spiderwick series for young adult readers. We went to see the movie on Valentine's Day, at the Tropicana Imax in Atlantic City.

Though I was unfamilar with the book series, I didn't feel like I missed out on anything because of it. The movie begins with a dysfunctional family moving into their new house - a creepy haunted-looking old place. The mother, Helen, is a divorcee and the house belonged to her Aunt Lucinda. She encourages her children to make the best of it. The eldest child, Mallory and one of the twins Simon seem to be going with the plan - but the other twin, Jared, is resentful of the move and wants his father.

When objects go missing and Mallory's hair is tied to the bed, the family at first blames Jared. Jared, however, discovers a secret book - a field guide to fantastical creatures that was written by his great great uncle Arthur Spiderwick. There is a note on the book that warns him not to read it - but he doesn't obey the note. When the opens the book and reads it - the fantasy realm comes into play.

We are soon introduced to the house brownie Thimbletack, who is very upset that Jared has read the book. Doesn't he know how to read? There was a warning! Angry brownies become boggarts, which need to be calmed with honey. Once the brownie is calm again, he explains that there is an evil ogre named Mulgarath who will stop at nothing to get the field guide and destroy all of the fantasy creatures using the knowledge contained within.

What follows is a fantastic adventure in which all three of the Grace children (and later their mother) must fight to protect the book from Mulgarath and his forces. The action and adventure of the film are stunning on an Imax screen - you feel like you are really there fighting the goblins, and flying on the griffin, and so forth. All the creatures are very convincing - from the ugly redcaps to the beautiful sprites, they're animated in such a manner that they seem fantastical yet real to their environment.

The plot was a standard fantasy fare, but you find yourself so immersed in the world that the familiarity is comfortable and not irritating. The Grace family is potrayed in a sympathetic light, and you find yourself cheering for their victories, whether it be in their fight against the bad guys or in becoming a more unified family. Younger children might be a bit frightened by some of the battle sequences, but with a parent it should be alright for all ages. This is definitely a family-friendly movie - and one we all enjoyed. My husband, my mother (age 78), myself, and my daughter (age 17) all enjoyed the experience. Definitely a film worth seeing.

They're also making a video game that is going to be available on a variety of platforms - I'd like to pick it up for the Wii. If I do, I'll be sure to review that for you as well. I checked out the video game site and watched the trailer for it - it seems like it'll be a fun game! The books, too, look pretty interesting.

Another fun thing to do is visit the movie's website! Not only can you watch the trailer and get information about the movie, they also have some interactive fun there. Kids can print their own Field Guide activity book, there's games based on the movie, and you can explore the site with the Seeing Stone and find hidden secrets. There's downloadable icons and wallpapers and you can make a sprite or brownie that has your face. The book site and the International Sprite League offer more activities and downloads, including a little trivia card game. You can also become a friend of the movie on Facebook and Myspace. On the Facebook, and on the movie website, you can listen to the soundtrack of the movie.