The Spiderwick Chronicles
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(This post was updated on )
 From the moment the Grace family moves into a secluded old house, strange things start to happen. As Jared (Freddie Highmore, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) investigates, he discovers Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide and the unbelievable truth of the Spiderwick Estate: a secret world with fantastical creatures hides within our own! Now Jared, his sister and his twin brother are pulled into an unforgettable adventure as they try to protect the secrets of the book. Based on the beloved series of best-selling books and filled with non-stop action.
A jolt of personality and above-average effects make this kids' fantasy adventure entertaining enough to overcome the cliches in its premise. Twins Jared and Simon (both played by Highmore) and their sister Mallory (Bolger) aren't happy to move from New York to a rattling family mansion in the middle of nowhere, although their newly single mother (Parker) is determined to make the best of it. Then Jared stumbles across the Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, a notebook by great uncle Arthur Spiderwick (Strathairn) that opens Jared's eyes to the world of goblins, sprites and the evil ogre Mulgarath (Nolte) who'll do anything to get that book. The screenplay zips through the set-up so it can get on with the action, an all-out war against Mulgarath and his henchmen. The kids are assisted by an ill-tempered house boggart (Short) and an easily distracted hobgoblin (Rogen), two colourfully comical characters who keep us chuckling even when things get frantic and scary. And that they do, thanks to Caleb Deschanel's sharp cinematography and complex effects that are seamlessly woven into even the speediest handheld sequences. So we can forgive the story its corny build-up, the strained emotions in the rather cliched broken-family situation, the barmy old woman (Plowright) who clearly knows more than anyone expects, and a few moments of pretty on-screen magic that have little to do with the plot. At least the action scenes are sure-handed and surprisingly edgy, never more than a child could handle, but pretty unsettling at times as the threat of injury or even death hovers over the central characters. The cast is excellent, with Highmore once again hitting all the right notes, this time in an intriguing dual role as brothers with opposite personalities. Bolger is feisty and energetic as their big sis, conveniently trained in fencing to add a bit of swash and buckle. And Nolte's brief on-screen appearance as the shape-shifting Mulgarth is even creepier than the grotesque animated version. But the thing that makes this film better than the usual too-slick family adventure is the way the filmmakers allow messy bits of attitude to seep out of the characters. This is what carries us along for the ride. After his family move into a long-disappeared relative’s country house, young Jared Grace (Highmore) discovers a field guide to fantastical creatures. Opening the book, however, alerts its presence to a very real, very nasty ogre who wants it for himself. Loveable as they may be, The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter have a lot to answer for. The scramble that followed those two franchises by studios anxious to adapt every last children’s fantasy book was like watching trolls at feeding time. Consequently, any addition to this newly crowded genre needs to really pull out the stops to impress. When Paramount announced its intentions to turn some comparatively little-known books into its next big kid’s flick, the initial reaction was, “Spider-whatnow?” But, as with most of Paramount’s 2008 output, it knew what to do with a good thing. At first glance, you’re not presented with much: single-parent family - Freddie Highmore as twins Jared and Simon and Sarah Bolger as their sister - moves to big old house in New England countryside, owned by distant and odd relatives. Boy finds book of goblins, faeries, trolls etc., and presto: the house is attacked by an ogre called Mulgarath (Nick Nolte) and his army. Kudos to whoever thought to bring on Mark Waters as director. He has Mean Girls and Freaky Friday on his CV, and clearly has great recall of what he enjoyed on screen as a kid, because the real strength of The Spiderwick Chronicles is how well it brings to mind a lot of older entries in the genre. From its opening, James Horner’s spot-on score and some great production design on the Spiderwick house will put even adults right where it wants you - part E. T., part Labyrinth, with a dash of The Goonies. The screenplay chooses to fold in elements from across the series of books rather than adapting any single story, but what could have been a godawful mash-up works quite nicely with, again, almost nostalgic beats - nods to Potter, Narnia and Jumanji and new twists on familiar ground. Occasionally, though, it writes itself into a corner, and even small kids might think they’ve seen some things before. Small grumbles aside, there’s plenty to enjoy. Freddie Highmore is terrific and believable as twin characters - each with a refreshingly real personality - and the film doesn’t pull its punches on PG-rated scares. Also, glory be, it’s not part of a planned umpteen-film series. A late entry in a crowded field, Spiderwick works hard to set itself apart from the competition, and almost entirely succeeds - no mean feat these days.  Freddie Highmore ... Jared Grace / Simon Grace Mary-Louise Parker ... Helen Grace Nick Nolte ... Mulgarath Sarah Bolger ... Mallory Grace Andrew McCarthy ... Richard Grace Joan Plowright ... Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick David Strathairn ... Arthur Spiderwick Seth Rogen ... Hogsqueal (voice) Martin Short ... Thimbletack (voice) Jordy Benattar ... Young Lucinda Tod Fennell ... Helen's Co-Worker Mariah Inger ... Nurse Jeremy Lavalley ... Tow Truck Driver Lise Durocher-Viens ... Mrs. Spiderwick Tyler Patrick Jones ... Additional Performer IMDB Download Torrent 
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