Reviewed
by Lamar Kukuk
2/17/08
Talk
about swimming against the tide! At a time when most major studio
productions exist only to kick off franchises, when “save it for the sequel”
seems to be Hollywood's official motto, The Spiderwick Chronicles
compresses the events of no fewer than five bestselling young adult novels
into a single 97-minute film. The results are glorious: an
action-packed throwback to the family films of the 80's that's designed
to take kids on a thrill ride of scary adventure. Adults, too, if
you're into that sort of thing, which I most definitely am.
Helen
Grace (Mary-Louise Parker) has separated from her husband Richard (Andrew
McCarthy) and is moving her family to the only place she can afford:
the house of her great-Aunt Lucinda (Joan Plowright), who's been committed
to a sanitarium. She brings along twin sons Simon and Jared (Freddie
Highmore in a dual role) and older daughter Mallory (Sarah Bolger).
Simon and Mallory are supportive of their Mom, but Jared is resentful and
blames her for the breakup. The house is both old and strange, with
salt around the windows and large stashes of honey and spaghetti sauce.
There's also something living in the walls, and when Jared investigates
he finds an old book with a note declaring that it must never be read.
Like any good movie character, he reads it anyway: Arthur Spiderwick's
Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You was written by Spiderwick
(David Strathairn) 80 years earlier, shortly before he mysteriously disappeared.
It's a catalog of all the strange creatures sharing the world with humans,
along with their secrets, which taken together would give any one person
too much power over the forces of nature. With the book's help, Jared
meets that thing in the walls, a brownie named Thimbletack (voice of Martin
Short) who'd sworn to protect the Field Guide at all costs.
But Jared doesn't take his advice and takes the book outside a barrier
of toadstools surrounding the house, where it can be sensed by Mulgarath,
an evil ogre who takes many forms, one of them human (Nick Nolte).
Mulgarath has an army of ogres at his command and will stop at nothing
to get the book, which will make him the most powerful being on the planet.
Jared must join together with his fractured family to uncover the secrets
of this mystical world and make a desperate stand at the new family home
to protect themselves, the Field Guide, and the world.
The
Spiderwick Chronicles is a lean, mean fantasy action machine, perfectly
paced by Freaky Friday director Mark Waters (taking his first stab
at an F/X extravaganza) to feel like its' relatively brief 97 minutes is
all the time it needs. After taking a bit less than a half hour to
introduce us to the Grace family dysfunction and The Field Guide,
the orge assault is on, and a sense of constant danger and menace pervades
what otherwise might have been a leisurely jaunt through the magical world
of fairies, hobgoblins, trolls and the like. He's also chosen
to amp up the violence above what you'd usually see in a family film (although
it's still perfectly fine for all but easily frightened kids) so that we
see characters scratched up and attacked by the evil creatures to prove
they've got, well, teeth. All in all the beings that inhabit the
parallel world Spiderwick discovered are not a nice or friendly lot, but
they are fun and magical, and kids of all ages should really enjoy making
their acquaintance. While it is perfectly pitched for families, the
movie stays true to its' action adventure story and should be enjoyed by
anyone who doesn't absolutely hate kids.
Highmore
is probably the top child star of the moment and he does great things with
his dual role. Simon's the usual Freddie role, smart and well behaved,
while Jared allows him to sport a little more (kiddie-sized) edge, with
dark hair and a smidgen of action hero attitude. Bolger does a fine
job not being remotely irritating as the older sister with a thing for
fencing that comes in handy when creatures attack and Parker is very convincing
as the harried mother: collectively they make a nice, lived-in family.
Nolte is just flat-out scary when he wants to be, and his one scene in
human form does a lot more to make Mulgarath menacing than any of his CGI
incarnations. Strathairn, Hollywood's reigning King of the Eggheads,
adds another fine turn as an obsessed scholar to his resume and Plowright
hits just the right notes as a woman who's endured a lifetime of horrors
while remembering that she is in a kids movie. Short and Seth Rogen
(as the occasionally helpful hobgoblin Hogsqueal) turn in fine vocal performances.
It
took three writers to melt down the five Spiderwick books written
by Holly Black and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, but they've created
a seamless story that doesn't feel compressed at all and carries surprising
emotional heft. Kuddos all to Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum
and King of the Script Doctors John Sayles. James Horner brings his
brand of thrilling and weapy thunder to the score and, as usual, shines
in a movie exciting and emotional enough to handle him. Technical
work is great across the board, particularly from the effects crew that
brought to life creatures as threatening as frog-like ogres and giant trolls
and as delicate as little fairies that appear to be plants (all designed
by the great Phil Tippett).
At
a time of year when studios tend to release those titles that didn't turn
out well enough for the more competitive seasons, The Spiderwick Chronicles
is a wonderful surprise. Parents wondering whether to take their
kids should bear in mind that it is “scary”, but not disturbing except
for those who're frightened by the whole concept of monsters. As
such, it's well equipped to serve as My First Horror Movie and get the
kids' cinematic disposition started out right. And best of all, while
it's likely to make kids unfamiliar with the novels want to run right out
and read them, it doesn't demand a single additional ticket purchase.
Unless you want to see it twice. |
