Spiderwick - Le cronache

Went to a UK preview tonight and this completely took me by surprise. A brilliant fantasy adventure which retains it's dignity and doesn't sell out for a cute Disney style box office attack.

The issues in it were quite good and realistic and it wasn't necessarily 'happy ever after' in the end. The scripting and the style of the piece reminded me of 'The Princess Bride'- although this is more of an action adventure than a comedy.

Well worth seeing, and there doesn't seem to have been much 'hollywood tailoring' such as there was with the Golden compass and Narnia...

As to the monsters / fairies- they were very well done indeed, quite believable considering they were computer generated.

Well worth seeing, but I have the feeling it won't get as much publicity as the usual run of the mill children's movie...

Why do I keep saying children's movie when I am 34?

Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures.

I've made up a theory: People who have read books that are turned into movies will be more harsh to judge the films unlike people who see movies without reading the book. I think this theory is right. I was disappointed by Harry Potter 5 at first, but watching it now for a year later and nearly forgetting about the book, I found it the best in the series.

The same might as well go with this film. I was disappointed. If you don't know, this film is based on 5 books. However, the movie ignores the 4th book, which is probably because of budget issues and/or limited running time. Still, I can't help but complain. There could've been more creative production designs to see, more action, and more magical creatures.

Apart from that, I felt that the film was well put together, especially the fact that they skipped a lot in the books. The special effects are very good, as well as the action scenes. I also may feel this film pushed the PG rating. It certainly is not as intense as Harry Potter 3 but there might be about 2 to 3 scenes that could make this film a PG-13 rating.

The performances here are decent, although not captivating. The film may be a bit fast paced, if you asked me. Overall, this is a decent adaption to another fantasy book. If you have read the books, you might be disappointed. If you have not, enjoy it.

I was a child when this film released and really liked it so much, cause every child dreams of such adventures. But being an adult spoiled an impression about this film a bit. Now I see that it isn't perfect. Nevertheless, while children can be amazed by this movie, adults wouldn't be bored. It is really a family film, though parents would like it less. But it is a typical 00's fantasy film which wanted to repeat a LOTR's success but lacked an art in it. While watching The Lord of the Rings in adult age you will probably like it more than in childhood cause it is a real work of art, drawbacks of The Spiderwick Chronicles are obvious while watching it being over 20 y.o. First is that it is too hasty. Without titles it would run for an hour and a half, and it's okay for children who don't like long movies, but makes the movie less understandable. I think the creators should have made it 20 minutes longer to let us feel the atmosphere better and to represent the characters more thoroughly. The other drawback is Freddie Highmore. His performance is not good enough in both his roles. Other actors are good, though not incredible. Sarah Bolger looks much more convincing, though she was only one year older and wasn't that experienced. But still it is just a child movie, so don't be so serious about it. You can surely watch it with your child and wouldn't be disappointed.

I truly wasn't expecting much from this movie goon in but it was the only family movie available to watch with my 5 and 3 year old. I figured that because it wasn't a cartoon I'd have to deal with squirming bottoms and talking. But to my amazement the movie was not only entertaining to both of my boys (NO SQUIRMING!!!) both my husband and I loved it. My husband wouldn't even get a refill on the popcorn----and believe me that doesn't happen often!!!! I have nothing negative to say about the film. Some might think it's a little too scarry for younger kids but neither one of mine were scarred. A couple of times I had to explain some things to my 5 year old. The head goblin is kind of scarry looking; but not too bad.

Spiderwick Chronicles is a good children's film. Freddie Highmore stars in the main role (Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate factory), most of the cast is relatively unknown but that doesn't matter as the acting isn't bad.

The plot's really good, very creative. Jared finds and reads a mysterious book filled with drawings and information on these goblins and fairy type creatures. Apparently he also unwittingly releases these monsters (or makes them aware of the book or something, regardless the goblins try to hunt him down) to disastrous consequences.

Freddie Highmore skilfully plays both Jared and Simon in a dual role, which I found very clever as they're completely different people. Special effects are quite well done, maybe a bit overused but it would be difficult to have practical effects in place of goblins without costing a lot.

7/10: An enjoyable romp, it isn't a masterpiece but it has a quality story and is never really boring. Good without being excellent