Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
43 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Graces, June 18, 2008
Short Attention Span Summary (SASS)
1. Helen Grace moves into the Spiderwick Estate with her three kids, Mallory, Simon and Jared. Simon and Jared are twins (played by the impressive Freddie Highmore)
2. It doesn't take the kids long to find a secret room, a locked chest and a book marked "Do NOT read"
3. You can guess what happens next
4. Up pops a tiny Brownie named Thimbletack (Martin Short) who changes into a Boggart when riled up.
5. He gets riled up a lot
6. There's an evil Ogre named Mulgarath (Nick Nolte) who commands an army of Goblins, and really, really wants the aforementioned book
7. The Ogre can change his appearance, and is at his most frightening when he looks like Nick Nolte.
8. During the machinations and shenanigans to protect the book, the kids meet a scene stealing Hobgoblin named Hogsqueal (Seth Rogen) who has a talent for expectorating and a penchant for bipedal, endothermic vertebrate animals that lay eggs (also known as birds)
9. The kids set off on a quest to find the author of the book, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn)
10. When they get back, they have to quickly work out a strategy for repelling Goblins and an Ogre who looks like the Grinch on steroids.
11. Exciting yet somewhat disturbing altercation ensues
12. Just desserts are served for the grand finale.
The movie is based on the five books that make up The Spiderwick Chronicles, but barely touches book three, Lucinda's Secret and never touches book four, The Ironwood Tree. There are a few small differences, but for the most part the movie captures the spirit of the series.
Relatively short, it's ideal for kids from around ten or so, as there are some mildly scary scenes and one close to the end that could be disturbing until the twist is revealed.
It's also recommended that you get the series for your young `uns. The books are short, easy to read and full of magical and fantastical adventures. Don't forget the follow-up The Nixie's Song (Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1), and the soon to be released A Giant Problem (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles)
The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles)
The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 2)
The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 5)
Amanda Richards, June 18, 2008
|
|
|
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Spiderwick Chronicles, February 22, 2008
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.
|
|
|
16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun fantasy flick, February 16, 2008
The Grace family moves into an old family estate, long uninhabited - or so they think. In fact the house has an inhabitant. More to the point, the woods around the house have their own trolls and gnomes, unfriendly ones, who want something that's inside the house.
So starts this kids' fantasy, with a big element of "the grownups just don't get it." In this case, young Jared not only finds that thing that the invisible ouside beings want, he also perceives their threat first. A kid-empowerment fantasy ensues, with the grownups (including a teen sister in a half-grownup kind of role) finally catching on just barely in time.
If you want a bit of fantasy without overt violence (or not much), and with people keeping their clothes on, you came to the right place. There's a suitably scary buildup at the end, with some great CGI effects like those toad-like outside beings. Maybe it's not memorable, but it's fun anyway.
-- wiredweird, reviewing the theatrical release
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Video On Demand ~ Steven Strait
Video On Demand ~ Nicole Kidman
Video On Demand ~ Abigail Breslin
Video On Demand ~ Hayden Christensen
Video On Demand ~ Bruce Allpress
Video On Demand ~ Bob Shaye
