The Spiderwick Chronicles (Widescreen Edition)

The Spiderwick Chronicles is an excellent film. Well acted, well directed and well written. The story line is creative and engaging. Freddie Highmore is a superb actor and he does a stellar performance here. The special effects are not overwhelming and fix very nicely with the story. If you have kids or are a kid at heart this is a most buy.

This was a great movie all around. Very interesting and exciting and keeps you guessing the whole way through. I loved it! It was so suspensful and imaginative the ideas in here are something new, it's not the same ol been there done that bit. It's highly original. I enjoyed the movie and the ended, it is a wonderful story with a feel good ending. I would recommend everyone in the family to watch this!

I enjoyed the movie VERY much...I'm a 70 year old Harry Potter fan, and this film was not quite as complicated as all the Potter stories, but it was vertainly entertaining. I'm glad I purchased it.

The '08 film `The Spiderwick Chronicles' is an exciting, exhilarating, enchanting and at times surprisingly eerie tale that absolutely bowled me over! There's nothing I enjoy more than a tale dealing with the denizens of the "Secret Commonweath" consisting of the elves, fairies, sylphs, goblins, trolls and the rest of the mythic creatures that move unseen behind every flower and stone, or on occasion a dusty book in the library for that matter.

There's not much in this movie that one could honestly point to as a totally original idea. Upon viewing `The Spiderwick Chronicles' one will immediately recognize the numerous bits and pieces of storyline borrowed from a rather broad spectrum of other well-known fantasy and horror films.

On the lighter side of the tale we see glimpses from such beloved family films as; `The Neverending Story' from '84, `Labyrinth from '86 and of course the immensely successful `Harry Potter' series.

However the plot of `The Spiderwick Chronicles' deals predominantly with the darker aspects of the Fairy Realm and this unexpected dark side of the film is what ultimately fascinates and beguiles its audience. The more children friendly films mentioned above are counterbalanced with cinematic aspects found in some surprisingly frightening adult films. You'll find overt correlations with such movies as; the legendary cult classic `Night of the Living Dead' from `68` and the '87 teen favorite `The Lost Boys'.

However the greatest source of inspiration for this storyline surely must have been an obscure little film from '03 titled `Inhabited'. In fact there are simply too many similarities for it to be a nothing more than a coincidence.

Having said all this let me also say that I don't share these similarities to dissuade you from viewing this film. I share it as an observation and nothing more. Afterall there's nothing new under the sun that hasn't been done before so the goal is to take what's already there and do it better and that's just what `The Spiderwick Chronicles' accomplishes. The film grabbed my rapt attention from the beginning and never let up. There's absolutely nothing I didn't enjoy about this film which is sure to become a classic in the years ahead.

Message to Parents: If you have small children who want to watch this please take the time to view it with them. The goblins and troll will appear quite frigntening to a young audience so be forewarned.

Postscript: Also remember to keep plenty of honey on hand and don't forget tomato sauce kills goblins.

The field guide version of this film is a creative way to enhance the movie and gives it more depth. It should also encourage all to read the books. Spiderwick is clearly inspired by legendary field guide authors like John James Audubon, and Roger Tory Peterson. And should encourage all amateur naturalists to explore the outdoors around their home. As well, hone in on their creative skills. Recommended for single adults!

Creativity > 5 stars
Plot > 4 stars