Based on Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's bestselling children's series of the same name (a minor cottage industry built around five episodic books totaling less than 600 pages that together retail for over $50), director Mark Waters' The Spiderwick Chronicles rather too calculatingly mines the rich Lord of the Rings/Chronicles of Narnia/Bridge to Terabithia vein of fantasy adventure. Newly single mom Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parker) and her disillusioned twin sons Jared and Simon (both played by young British actor Freddie Highmore) and sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger) relocate to a ramshackle New England house that once belonged to the kids' great-uncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn). Still smarting over being abandoned by their father, the Grace siblings find escape from their troubles—after unearthing a secret book—in a fearsome but funny netherworld featuring denizens including a pig-faced hobgoblin voiced by Seth Rogen and a monster played by Nick Nolte. Waters and his technicians bestow upon this mystical setting an autumnal appearance that manages to be simultaneously cozy and baroque, while the adroit use of CGI technology sustains various illusions called for in the script. But eventually the visual effects trump the thin story, which (unlike the books) ends with a trite, heart-tugging reconciliation that is not altogether convincing. Still, given the popularity of the series, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras on this two-disc standard DVD and single-disc Blu-ray release include a 21-minute “making-of” featurette, “The Magic of Spiderwick” featurette on the CGI animation (15 min.), a 14-minute “Meet the Clan” character featurette, “It's a Spiderwick World” behind-the-scenes featurette (9 min.), four deleted scenes (8 min.), “It's All True!” creature featurette (7 min.), “A Final Word of Advice” from director Mark Waters (2 min.), “Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide” text encyclopedia of the characters with artwork and clips (also available in a pop-up viewing option—enhanced on the Blu-ray release—during the film), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an SFX-heavy family film.] (E. Hulse)
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Paramount, 101 min., PG, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $39.99, June 24 Volume 23, Issue 4
The Spiderwick Chronicles
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