The Spiderwick Chronicles Movie Review
 
Here is What You Need To Know:
Everybody, and I do mean everybody, wants a piece of that Harry Potter magic don’t they? By magic, I mean money, of course. The latest pretenders to the throne are The Spiderwick Chronicles. So how is it? Ah, its okay, for what it is. The Spiderwick Chronicles focus on group of kids finding a secret book written by Arthur Spiderwick. The book details all sorts of magical creatures and how to find them. Some of the creatures are very visually interesting and pretty gosh darn annoying, take the character of Thimbletack, voiced by Martin Short. Yes, Martin Short. Yes, this is as annoying as you imagine. You shouldn’t be surprised to learn there are good woodland creatures and horrible monsters, such as Mulgarath (Nick Nolte). Nolte does a very good job and actually adds a good touch to the film.
No doubt the film’s highlights are the visual effects and the great creature designs and concepts. Unfortunately, the story is pretty thin and mostly predictable, but it a kid’s film and if you see it from that perspective The Spiderwick Chronicles is actually pretty good.
What Was Cool:
-The acting is good, the visuals are pretty fun and on occasion there are some surprises.
The Film’s Real Genius or Geniuses:
-Like so many films these days, The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on the children’s book by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. They’ve created a nice little universe, but its no Harry Potter.
Overlooked Performance/Accomplishment:
David Strathairn does a great job as Arthur Spiderwick. You might remember him from The Bourne Ultimatum.
Story B (The Spiderwick Chronicles is aimed at kids, I mention this once more, but most adults will probably enjoy it as well.)
Use of Science N/A
Acting B- (David Strathairn did well as I mentioned, but Mary-Louise Parker was way too much like her Weeds character-I worry about her range. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan, I just wish she had showed more range. Freddie Highmore does well in his role as a pair of annoying twins, but what the heck is Andrew McCarthy doing in this film. He is in it for about 6 minutes, its just weird-is he starving?)
Portrayal of Women C+
Style/Sex Appeal B (Well, the visuals are at times very sexy. Then again, how sexy can a slimy goblin be? I’m sort of Goth, but slimy goblin might be taking it too far.)
Enjoyability Grade B-
Home Theater/HD Factor B+
Gut Check (Level of Studio Executive Guts) C
Overall Innovation B- (Within its genre, The Spiderwick Chronicles does have some new tricks.)
Overall Grade B- (Better than I expected and I feel most kids will enjoy it.)
A Little Fact About Cherie:
I don’t want kids. I mean I really don’t want kids.
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