Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
MPAA;
:
PG for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements.
Overwiew :Peculiar things start to happen the moment the Grace family (Jared, his twin brother Simon, sister Mallory and their mom) leave New York and move into the secluded old house owned by their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick. Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames Jared. When he, Simon and Mallory investigate what's really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate and of the creatures that inhabit it.
Producers :
Julie Kane-Ritsch, Steve Barnett, Karey Kirkpatrick, Larry J. Franco, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Mark Canton, Tony DiTerlizzi, Holly Black, Julia Pistor
USA Today - Claudia Puig : Spiderwick can entertain and engage, and the cinematography by Caleb Deschanel is stunning, but fantasy and reality fail to coexist comfortably. more...
C+
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Sean Axmaker : Maybe it's fantasy fatigue, but for all the pretty effects and breathless chases and goblin war battles, the sense of wonder and magic is lost in the shuffle. more...
C+
San Francisco Chronicle - David Wiegand : The film is graced with a mostly superb cast, superior special effects, a sparkling musical score... more...
B
ReelViews - James Berardinelli : There's enough here to keep adults engaged... more...
B
New York Times - A. O. Scott : Instead of the kind of inspired imaginative synergy that distinguished the Lord of the Rings, The Spiderwick Chronicles feels more like a sloppy, secondhand pander. more...
C
New York Post - Kyle Smith : The characters lack shadings... more...
C
Los Angeles Times - Carina Chocano : Director Mark Waters goes easy on the pixie dust and ratchets up the action in an effort to keep the fantasy fresh. more...
C+
Hollywood Reporter - Michael Rechtshaffen : This otherworldly creature feature conjures up some of that winning Boy Wizard magic. more...
B+
filmcritic.com - Bill Gibron : ...underwhelming... more...
C
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum : To be honest, the magical population is kind of dull... more...
B-
Chicago Tribune - Matt Pais : ...the freaky, fishy toad beasts will scare and surprise adults expecting the same old hokey kids stuff. more...
B
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert : ...a terrific entertainment for the whole family, except those below a certain age, who are likely to be scared out of their wits. more...
A-
Boston Globe - Ty Burr : It's a good movie for its type, but it rarely stops to let us marvel at the world it creates. more...
B-
Total Reviews:
7
Average Rating:
7 Comments
Jilia Samuel says @ Wednesday - March 19,2008
I and my kids went to the theaters and it was a total turn off. Everything gets clubbed up and the characters that have been derived from the books hardly get chance to be exhibited properly.
the spiderwick chronicles is a great family movie. even though it was little scary for the kids, most of them still enjoyed it. oh yes ,the grandparents also liked it a lot!
Great movie for the family, specially for kids. The story, the visuals, the sound, the ending was incredible. The acting and the characters were highly enjoyable.
"The Spiderwick Chronicles" is cute and funny but may be too scary for little kids. The movie, of course, had taken so much away from the books and made its own. I loved Freddie and the invisibles, which was absolutely enchanting and wonderful.
The movie is very entertaining for kids and their parents. The story was genuine and believable, and there was even a lesson to be learned about the importance of parental figures in the lives of their children.
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