The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

Fun Enough
I just saw this over the weekend- and yet again, the industry belts out another fantastical tale complete with magic, and goblins, and monsters, and plenty of CGI, and here ya go kids-- thank you, good night.
I've always been partial to the fantasy genre, but it seems everywhere you turn, there's another Harry Potter-"esque" movie coming out. I.E., The Golden Compass, Stardust, Lemony Snicketts, Mr Magoriums Wonder Emporium, and on and on. And the beauty of it is "with magic, anything is possible."
Oh the story line is thin? Magic. Oh that last scene doesn't make sense? Magic. Oh you couldn't keep your kids quiet for two hours? Magic. Oh your tickets and popcorn came out to $42.00? Well that's the REAL Magic isn't it? This movie was cute, and easy on the eyes, but I don't think J.K. Rowlings is losing any sleep.

Cliches Are Cliches For A Reason
As I went to see this, I wondered; Why do they keep making fantasy movies with child protagonist(s)?

And then I saw the movie, and I realized it's because it works.

The movie was fun. Not too serious, just serious enough. Freddie Highmore starts off slow, but ends up impressing with some serious skills, playing both Jared and his pacifistic brother Simon. (Special note to his performance in the scene when Jared goes to rescue Simon from the goblins.)

I thought the end was a bit corny and predictable, but overall, I found the movie light and enjoyable: Everything you could expect from a film of it's kind.

On an end-note: After I saw the movie, I just had to try crackers and honey. It's actually quite good.

A scary enchanted forest
Three siblings (Freddie Highmore, as twin brothers, and Sarah Bolger) find themselves in conflict with creatures from a hidden world when they discover the creepy old field guide of Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn) in the attic of their isolated new home. Based on a popular series of children's fantasy books (by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black) , this is an entertaining film, even though it doesn't do a very good job of presenting a fully realized fantasy realm. For example, I never understood why Spiderwick's book had such powerful potential for world domination, nor did I have a clear idea of the kinds of rules and restrictions govern the interactions between these fantasy creatures and the inhabitants of the "real world."

To the film's credit, however, the story was snappy and entertaining enough that I didn't think about these issues until after it was over. Final verdict: a fun, thrilling adventure and I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel, though I'm not clamoring for one.