The Spiderwick Chronicles (Widescreen Edition)
starring: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright
directed by: Mark Waters
directed by: Mark Waters
List Price: $34.98
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Product Description:
From the beloved best-selling series of books comes an extraordinary fantasy adventure revealing the unseen world that exists all around us. From the moment the Grace family moves into a secluded old house peculiar things start to happen. Unable to explain the accidents and strange disappearances the Grace children Jared Simon and Mallory start to investigate and find the unbelievable truth of the Spiderwick Estate and the amazing creatures that inhabit it.System Requirements:Running Time: 101 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 097363432845 Manufacturer No: 343284
Amazon.com:
A very good adaptation of the popular series of books by Tony DiTerllizi and Holly Black, The Spiderwick Chronicles is one of the few family films in recent years to seamlessly integrate magical elements with a potent drama that will strike a chord with many kids. An exceptionally talented Freddie Highmore (August Rush) plays twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, caught up in a sad shock from their parents' divorce and coping with a decision by their mother (Mary-Louise Parker) to uproot the boys and their sister, Mallory (Sarah Bolger), from New York City to a small town. There, the broken family moves into a spooky old mansion passed on to them by the kids' great-aunt, Lucinda (Joan Plowright), who is spending her twilight years in managed care and whose scientist father, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn), disappeared some 80 years ago. Jared, angry, defiant, and determined to live with the father who seems to have abandoned him, investigates strange happenings and discovers Arthur's secret notations on fairies, ogres, and other mythical creatures that live both in and outside the house. Having no idea where his curiosity is leading, Jared soon finds that he and his family are under siege from goblins and a powerful ogre (Nick Nolte) who wants Arthur's notebook. Suddenly, the boy who is a lightning rod for a troubled family becomes a resourceful warrior intent on saving his loved ones from powerful forces. The Spiderwick Chronicles benefits enormously from a script (partially written by John Sayles) that treats, quite seriously, the emotional pain of its human characters and makes Jared's will to survive the very real engine of an otherwise fantastic story. It helps, too, that director Mark Waters, who brings a warm and knowing touch to outlandish material (Freaky Friday), has a way of making the spectacular elements of The Spiderwick Chronicles genuine enough to stir real excitement and suspense. This is one of the better film adaptations of best-selling fiction for kids in some years. --Tom Keogh
From the beloved best-selling series of books comes an extraordinary fantasy adventure revealing the unseen world that exists all around us. From the moment the Grace family moves into a secluded old house peculiar things start to happen. Unable to explain the accidents and strange disappearances the Grace children Jared Simon and Mallory start to investigate and find the unbelievable truth of the Spiderwick Estate and the amazing creatures that inhabit it.System Requirements:Running Time: 101 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 097363432845 Manufacturer No: 343284
Amazon.com:
A very good adaptation of the popular series of books by Tony DiTerllizi and Holly Black, The Spiderwick Chronicles is one of the few family films in recent years to seamlessly integrate magical elements with a potent drama that will strike a chord with many kids. An exceptionally talented Freddie Highmore (August Rush) plays twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, caught up in a sad shock from their parents' divorce and coping with a decision by their mother (Mary-Louise Parker) to uproot the boys and their sister, Mallory (Sarah Bolger), from New York City to a small town. There, the broken family moves into a spooky old mansion passed on to them by the kids' great-aunt, Lucinda (Joan Plowright), who is spending her twilight years in managed care and whose scientist father, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn), disappeared some 80 years ago. Jared, angry, defiant, and determined to live with the father who seems to have abandoned him, investigates strange happenings and discovers Arthur's secret notations on fairies, ogres, and other mythical creatures that live both in and outside the house. Having no idea where his curiosity is leading, Jared soon finds that he and his family are under siege from goblins and a powerful ogre (Nick Nolte) who wants Arthur's notebook. Suddenly, the boy who is a lightning rod for a troubled family becomes a resourceful warrior intent on saving his loved ones from powerful forces. The Spiderwick Chronicles benefits enormously from a script (partially written by John Sayles) that treats, quite seriously, the emotional pain of its human characters and makes Jared's will to survive the very real engine of an otherwise fantastic story. It helps, too, that director Mark Waters, who brings a warm and knowing touch to outlandish material (Freaky Friday), has a way of making the spectacular elements of The Spiderwick Chronicles genuine enough to stir real excitement and suspense. This is one of the better film adaptations of best-selling fiction for kids in some years. --Tom Keogh
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Cute, but changes from the book weaken the movie
I enjoyed the original Spiderwick Chronicles books quite a bit -- although I find the whole "chapter book" format to be a little problematic -- and was looking forward to the movie version.
The film has nice production values and Freddie Highmore does a good job of carrying much of the movie, ably abetted by a solid supporting cast.
But while some changes made to the books were necessary -- the digression with the dwarves would have only served to slow the whole thing down, ... Read More
Rating: - strong visuals overcome mundane storytelling
In "The Spiderwick Chronicles," based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, a mother and her three children move into a cobweb-infested ancestral home, only to find the property already occupied by an assortment of goblins, ogres, griffins, fairies and sprites that the children's great-great uncle, Arthur Spiderwick, discovered living there a century earlier.
While the very youngest in the audience may be freaked out by the movie's intense action sequences and occasionally rather ... Read More
Rating: 
- Goblins, Sprites and Bogles, Oh My
Think of it as "Home Alone - with goblins, sprites and bogles, oh my!" And a griffin and a uncouth pig-like creature whose spit-in-the-eye (yeeech!) makes all the unseen world around a spooky old Addams-family house out in the middle of the north woods visible for twins Jared and Simon and their sister Mallory. As far as young Jared is concerned, he has been dragged kicking and screaming away from the city and his father by his newly divorced mother. Angry, resentful and with a hasty temper, he is still ... Read More
Rating: - I'm a pacifist.
I'm always a little twitchy when books are made film.Not having read the books, I can't help but wonder how the film measures.It moves terribly quickly, with the feel of segues missing and of characters unconvincingly persuaded to believe unbelievable things.The film felt like too much was being crammed into a short period of time.While Highmore was wonderful as Jared, I found Parker to be not so different from other mother roles she's had, meaning she did well in it but was not exploring new territory. ... Read More
Rating: - The Spiderwick Chronicles
Freddie Highmore is a charming young actor whose acting I enjoy and I've always loved children's fantasy stories.It's good for adults to be intouch their inner child.This one was interesting in the fact that it was a little different from most.
- Cute, but changes from the book weaken the movieI enjoyed the original Spiderwick Chronicles books quite a bit -- although I find the whole "chapter book" format to be a little problematic -- and was looking forward to the movie version.
The film has nice production values and Freddie Highmore does a good job of carrying much of the movie, ably abetted by a solid supporting cast.
But while some changes made to the books were necessary -- the digression with the dwarves would have only served to slow the whole thing down, ... Read More
- strong visuals overcome mundane storytellingIn "The Spiderwick Chronicles," based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, a mother and her three children move into a cobweb-infested ancestral home, only to find the property already occupied by an assortment of goblins, ogres, griffins, fairies and sprites that the children's great-great uncle, Arthur Spiderwick, discovered living there a century earlier.
While the very youngest in the audience may be freaked out by the movie's intense action sequences and occasionally rather ... Read More
- Goblins, Sprites and Bogles, Oh MyThink of it as "Home Alone - with goblins, sprites and bogles, oh my!" And a griffin and a uncouth pig-like creature whose spit-in-the-eye (yeeech!) makes all the unseen world around a spooky old Addams-family house out in the middle of the north woods visible for twins Jared and Simon and their sister Mallory. As far as young Jared is concerned, he has been dragged kicking and screaming away from the city and his father by his newly divorced mother. Angry, resentful and with a hasty temper, he is still ... Read More
- I'm a pacifist.I'm always a little twitchy when books are made film.Not having read the books, I can't help but wonder how the film measures.It moves terribly quickly, with the feel of segues missing and of characters unconvincingly persuaded to believe unbelievable things.The film felt like too much was being crammed into a short period of time.While Highmore was wonderful as Jared, I found Parker to be not so different from other mother roles she's had, meaning she did well in it but was not exploring new territory. ... Read More
- The Spiderwick ChroniclesFreddie Highmore is a charming young actor whose acting I enjoy and I've always loved children's fantasy stories.It's good for adults to be intouch their inner child.This one was interesting in the fact that it was a little different from most.
