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The Spiderwick Chronicles 7.5 out of 10 Posted: 06/24/08
Running time: 1:30 MPAA rating: PG (Scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements.) Peruvian rating: Apta para Todos
Cast:
Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Mary-Louise
Parker, David Strathairn, Joan Plowright, Nick Nolte, Martin Short (voice),
Seth Rogen (voice).
Score:
James Horner |
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Fantasy movie have become and more popular during the last ten or so years. There's the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the upcoming motion picture adaptation of The Hobbit, the Harry Potter films, last year's The Golden Compass and Bridge to Terabithia, and also Mark Waters' The Spiderwick Chronicles, based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. Is it fair to compare this film to the aforementioned movies? Yes, but to a certain extent. I would compare this flick right here more to the likes of Terabithia than to Lord of the Rings. Yes, it's got magical creatures and lots of fancy computer effects, but the story takes place in our normal world - no fantasy land here, folks -, involves normal kids, and doesn't have such an epic feel to it - Spiderwick is successful enough as a kids' fantasy movie, and although it's not as compelling as Peter Jackson's trilogy or even the Potter flicks, it's decent entertainment.
The pic tells the story of a broken family - Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parker) and her three children - Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and twins Jared and Simon (both Freddy Highmore) - who left New York City to "restart" their lives. They have moved to the old Spiderwick Estate - an old and creepy mansion in the middle of nowhere that they have inhereted from a supposedly crazy aunt, Lucinda (Joan Plowright). The mansion has its own story, though: 80 years ago, explorer Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn) wrote a book called " The Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You" and, in doing so, unleashed some terrible forces. Now, demonic ogre Mulgrath (Nick Nolte) and his army of CGI goblins is getting ready to obtain the book (which contains all the secrets and enchanments related to these fantastical creatures), and the only ones who can stop him are the Grace kids: they must locate Arthur (who disappeared after completing his book.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is your standard fantasy fare, no more, no less. It's got everything a movie of this sort requires: fantastical creatures (faeries, goblins, monsters), lots of special effects, young protagonists who have to learn about magic and save the day, and a suitably ugly bad guy. This doesn't make the film bad; actually, by following the formula so closely, the film manages to be entertaining enough. Additionally, we also have the broken family cliché: the kids are moving because their dad is irresponsible and has fought with her mom, who now has to take care of the kids. The latter, obviously, are rebellious (Jared especially) and mommy has to deal with all of this. I guess this gives some depth to the characters, but since this kind of "problem" has become so common in kids movies, it doesn't really work as well as the filmmakers would've wanted it to.
Technically, the film's just all right. Landscapes are beautiful and photography is effective. Mark Waters' direction is also really good. I would've never imagined him as the director of a fantasy flick (his previous work includes movies like Mean Girls and Just Like Heaven) but he does a pretty competent job with the material he's given. There aren't any fancy camera movements or anything remotely stylish; his direction is pretty straightforward, and it works. Special effects, though, are kind of a mixed bag. There's plenty of CGI to be found - all the monsters and goblins and faeries are computer-generated -, but it doesn't really work too well. Every creature looks plastic and too obviously computer-generated, and although some manage to overcome this problem by having personalities - Martin Short's Thimbletac would be a good example -, others never manage to convince. (The goblins especially.) James Horner's score is nothing special, but Michael Kahn's (Steven Spielberg's favorite editor) handling of the scenes is masterful, as always.
Performances are nothing remarkable. They serve the story well, but they don't precisely stand out. Freddie Highmore, in a double role, is effective both as Jared and Simon, although he gives the former more personality. Mary-Louise Parker is pretty good as Helen; she's a troubled woman who wants to raise their kids as competently as possible. This human aspect of the character is compelling, but all is thrown out the window when she finds out about the fantastical stuff. Nick Nolte appears for a minute or so as the human form of Mulgarath the ogre, only voicing the CGI character afterwards. David Strathairn looks a little lost in the role of Arthur Spiderwick (he has definitely confirmed he doesn't belong to the fantasy genre), but supporting voice acting by Martin Short and Seth Rogen is solid. I actually didn't recognize Rogen - he did a good job at changing his voice for the character of Hogsqueal.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is a solid yet unremarkable fantasy movie. It's got all the ingredients for a film of this genre (you know, monsters, special effects, magic, enchantments and young protagonists with simple character arcs) and it does a competent job at trying to entertain its audience, but it doesn't really manage to stand out from all the other dozen fantasy flick that have been released or will be released in some years. Special effects are everything but special, performances are decent and direction is competent, but although I was never bored by the movie, I was expecting... more. I think The Spiderwick Chronicles plays it a little too safe. Maybe if Waters and his team had tried to do something a little more risky - but not too risky - they would've come up with something more original. Then again, I haven't read the books - since they're children's stories, I bet they're as formulaic as this movie. If that's the case, then the filmmakers did a good job at adapting their source material.
©2008 Sebastián Zavala - GG site