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The Spiderwick Chronicles | 
 enlarge | Director: Mark Waters
Actors: Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Nick Nolte, Mary-louise Parker, Joan Plowright
Studio: Paramount
Category: Movie
Buy New: $3.99
Rating:  96 reviews
Sales Rank: 626
Genre: Adventure
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 96 Minutes
ASIN: B001DX80ZU
Theatrical Release Date: February 14, 2008
Release Date: October 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Synopsis:
From the beloved, best-selling series of books comes an extraordinary fantasy adventure, revealing the unseen world that exists all around us. From the moment the Grace family moves into a secluded old house peculiar things start to happen. Unable to explain the accidents and strange disappearances, the Grace children, Jared, Simon and Mallory start to investigate and find the unbelievable truth of the Spiderwick Estate and the amazing creatures that inhabit it. |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
 The Spiderwick Chronicles February 22, 2008
Michael Zuffa (Racine, WI United States)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Helen Grace (Parker) and her kids Mallory (Bolger) and twins Jared and Simon (both Highmore) are starting fresh after Helen's separation from the kids' father. They are moving into the Spiderwick Estate, a mansion that Helen inherited from her Aunt Lucinda (Plowwright). The estate has an interesting history though. 80 years ago, Arthur Spiderwick (Strathairn) wrote a "field guide" to the world around him. This guide includes all kinds of fantastical creatyres. By writing it, he unleashed some terrible forces and now an army of goblins is amassing. Led by the ogre Mulgrath (Nolte), they seek to take the book away from the protection of the house. The kids are all that stands between Mulgrath and world domination.
"The Spiderwick Chronicles" is a surprisingly well done movie. For a movie that covers five books, there isn't a feeling that much was lost in the translation. There is a lot of action that keeps the moving quickly. The child actors do a good job in the roles, especially Highmore in dual roles. The story is not complex, but is not simple either. Plus, it deals with serious issues like divorce, a topic that many kids will relate to. "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is an excellent move for kids from about 6-7 on up to adults. I highly recommend this film.
Enchanting February 16, 2008
Harold Tucker (Alabama)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Without boring you with a long drawn out review, I just wanted to say it's a wonderful tale. It's a fastasy adventure for all ages.
A great surprise of a movie March 2, 2008
BobbyBlake (Florida)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This movie was an incredible surprise and the acting was TOP-notch! My favorite actor was Aunt Lucy. I was at tears at the end. *No Spoilers!* The effects were great, the story was well paced, and the action actually had me at the edge of my seat sometimes. I gave it 5 stars because I honestly believe that this movie was BETTER than ANY of the Harry Potter films to date.
Spiderwick Chronicles... May 7, 2008
Michelle Polk (Mississippi, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
An exciting kids (and parents too!) movie. Our Family enjoyed watching it together. It is based on a set of five books. Of course, the only disappointment in the movie was the veering away from the books. There is one scene that is a bit graphic (child stabbing father) It is quickly explained though. I can recommend for the whole family.
"A Gift Only A Hobgoblin Can Bestow" August 2, 2008
Brian E. Erland (Brea, CA - USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The '08 film `The Spiderwick Chronicles' is an exciting, exhilarating, enchanting and at times surprisingly eerie tale that absolutely bowled me over! There's nothing I enjoy more than a tale dealing with the denizens of the "Secret Commonweath" consisting of the elves, fairies, sylphs, goblins, trolls and the rest of the mythic creatures that move unseen behind every flower and stone, or on occasion a dusty book in the library for that matter.
There's not much in this movie that one could honestly point to as a totally original idea. Upon viewing `The Spiderwick Chronicles' one will immediately recognize the numerous bits and pieces of storyline borrowed from a rather broad spectrum of other well-known fantasy and horror films.
On the lighter side of the tale we see glimpses from such beloved family films as; `The Neverending Story' from '84, `Labyrinth from '86 and of course the immensely successful `Harry Potter' series.
However the plot of `The Spiderwick Chronicles' deals predominantly with the darker aspects of the Fairy Realm and this unexpected dark side of the film is what ultimately fascinates and beguiles its audience. The more children friendly films mentioned above are counterbalanced with cinematic aspects found in some surprisingly frightening adult films. You'll find overt correlations with such movies as; the legendary cult classic `Night of the Living Dead' from `68` and the '87 teen favorite `The Lost Boys'.
However the greatest source of inspiration for this storyline surely must have been an obscure little film from '03 titled `Inhabited'. In fact there are simply too many similarities for it to be a nothing more than a coincidence.
Having said all this let me also say that I don't share these similarities to dissuade you from viewing this film. I share it as an observation and nothing more. Afterall there's nothing new under the sun that hasn't been done before so the goal is to take what's already there and do it better and that's just what `The Spiderwick Chronicles' accomplishes. The film grabbed my rapt attention from the beginning and never let up. There's absolutely nothing I didn't enjoy about this film which is sure to become a classic in the years ahead.
Message to Parents: If you have small children who want to watch this please take the time to view it with them. The goblins and troll will appear quite frigntening to a young audience so be forewarned.
Postscript: Also remember to keep plenty of honey on hand and don't forget tomato sauce kills goblins.
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