The Spiderwick Chronicles movie is a fantasy movie that opens the imagination of all; children and adults alike. It stars Nick Nolte, Freddie Highmore, and Sarah Bolger. Also in the movie is the voice of Martin Short and Seth Rogen. One of the most impressive things about the movie and its stars is the fact that Freddie Highmore plays a dual role as the twin boys. He is the main character in the movie.
This movie is filled with special effects and animation as they 
bring creatures like Hogsquel (Seth Rogen), a hobgoblin, and Thimbletack (Martin Short), a brownie, to life. Also, the shape shifting Mulgarath is more than just Nick Nolte. The movie is full of goblins, snakes, monsters, trolls, and faeries that one cannot see. A hobgoblin can resolve that for you by spitting in your eyes. This will grant you the vision to see what others around you cannot.
The adventure starts when recently divorced Helen Grace moves into her Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick’s home with her three children. Once there, they find it packed with salt, honey, and marinara sauce. The home seems to be abandoned. It is not until the curiosity of one of Helen’s twin sons, Jared Grace that they find out differently. He decides that he wants to snoop around after his sister, Mallory, and twin brother, Simon, and he, find a dumbwaiter. Jared decides to see where the dumbwaiter leads and finds an attic that was shut off from the rest of the house. While up there, he hears something rummaging around and it frightens him. He finds a monogrammed key and the chest it belongs to and opens it. Inside of the chest he finds Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You that was sealed and it had a note attached to it warning of the danger if opened.
Jared does not heed the warning and opens the seal of the book. This is the very book that can give the evil Mulgarath the ability to rule over all faerie-kind. He sends his demons to do his bidding and retrieve the book. This is where the film sinks in and the action starts.
Even though this movie is based on the series of children’s books written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, there are some changes to it. There is more violence in the film than that of the book. Younger children might not be able to handle this side of it, so it is recommended that the age group be at least age 10 and up.
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September 13th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Great review! Were there any special things added to the DVD like behind the scenes footage, interviews, or such?
We loved the movie as well as the books, but I thought the movie captured the magic that lives and breathes in the book due to the great work from Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi. You can see my review here.
September 15th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Brian, the DVD does have a “Special Features” section, but not as much as one would expect. I kinda thought that this would be a 2 disk set with one of them expanding more on the making of the movie.