The film follows the exploits of twin brothers Simon and Jared (both played by Freddie Highmore of Finding Neverland), their older sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and their mother (Mary-Louise Parker), who have moved to a dilapidated (is there any other kind?) family mansion after the kids' parents have separated. The mansion has a history of its own, with its former owner Arthur Spiderwick having disappeared mysteriously some 80 years previously, and his daughter ultimately ending up in an insane asylum for insisting that he had been carried away by faeries. The film in fact opens with a brief segment showing Spiderwick before segueing into the present time with the typically dysfunctional modern family as its focus.

Jared, not dealing well with his parents' impending divorce, has anger issues which are quickly manifest. After having been accused of stealing various items, he insists he hears something in the walls of the mansion, leading to the quick revelation that not only is there indeed a "House Brownie" (nicely voiced by Martin Short), there is also a hidden dumbwaiter which hoists Jared to Arthur Spiderwick's secret attic workroom, where Spiderwick's long hidden "Field Guide," a compendium of arcane information about various magical creatures, is quickly found by the enterprising boy. Unfortunately, that's not entirely good news, as there is an evil ogre, Mulgarath, desperately seeking to obtain the book so that he can off all other fairy life, not to mention humans as well, and finally have the planet to himself.

What sets Spiderwick apart from some of its magical kin is its frank assessment of kids' reactions to their parents' problems. Though I have to say I found Highmore annoyingly incomprehensible at times due to his attempt at an American accent (in one scene I could have sworn he was screaming "We have to save Alice," which turned out to be "We have to save our house"), he must be given serious due for creating two distinct characters--the conflicted, aggressive Jared and the conflict-weary, introverted Simon. Bolger, doing a better job at an American idiolect despite her Irish upbringing, is the emotional focus of the piece once Spiderwick's now aged daughter (Joan Plowright) is introduced about halfway through the film, and does an appealing job of depicting both "older sister exasperation" and a growing determination to keep her family safe once she is able to see the goblins and ghouls surrounding the family manse.

There's an inevitable tradeoff when several books are telescoped into one 90 minute or so feature film, and Spiderwick readers will no doubt be surprised by how quickly events unfold in the opening scenes of the film, so that the appearance of Thimbletack (the House Brownie) arrives virtually within minutes of the film's opening. There's also a certain diminution of the mother's role, though Mary-Louise Parker makes the most of her few scenes. David Straitharn and Plowright are basically window dressing, though they both bring a dose of acting gravitas to the project that is otherwise heavy on whimsy.

The film is heavily dependent on CGI and for the most part does quite well in this arena. Thimbletack, though more than a bit reminiscent of a pint-sized Dobby from Harry Potter, and a bit too cartoonish for my taste, does have some great moments when, deprived of his favorite nectar, honey, and peeved by one of Jared's many stupid moves, transforms into his green alter-ego, the Boggart. Hogsqueal (nicely voiced by Seth Rogen) is also a delight, with his shifty eyes and several noses always working overtime. Red Cap and the other goblins who as Mulgrarath's minions are out to claim Spiderwick's Field Guide, are also well rendered. Both an evil troll and a heroic griffin provide some momentary thrills, though the griffin riding seems patently derivative of the Potter hippogriff. Mulgarath (who briefly takes on the human form of Nick Nolte, looking only slightly less unkempt than he did in his infamous mug shot) is suitably scary in the climax of the film, when he is revealed to be a sort of evil version of a spike-backed Harry from Harry and the Hendersons. Several transformations ensue, including a giant slithering snake, in a sequence that may be too intense for children under six or so.

While the film generally has a nice visual sweep, courtesy of director Mark Waters, the difference between actual exteriors and some studio-bound recreations is glaringly apparent. I was also surprised to find James Horner's score fairly lackluster; not until the griffin ride, accompanied by a nice expansive theme in the Lydian mode, did I find it as affecting as some of his other work. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel does fine work, especially in some of the final scenes when the children find Spiderwick secreted away to a beautiful sylvan land ruled by sylphs.

The major problem with Spiderwick is that the Potter franchise has set the bar so impossibly high for fantasy films. If you adjust your expectations accordingly, Spiderwick has its own quiet charms, but it rarely rises to the "wow" factor that Rowling's Hogwarts adventures do.

The DVD

Video:
The Spiderwick Chronicles features an extremely crisp 2.35:1 enhanced transfer with generally excellent color (I wish flesh tones especially had a bit more saturation) and superb clarity. Both CGI and actual environments are crisp and extremely well detailed.

Sound:
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is brilliantly realized, with top-notch separation and fidelity. Highmore, as noted above, is hard to understand at times, but that is not the fault of the soundtrack. There are also French and Spanish 5.1 soundtracks available, as well as English, French and Spanish subtitles available.

Extras:
This two disc edition offers several extras of varying quality. Disc 1 includes "Spiderwick: It's All True," with director Waters assuming Michael Eisner-ish hosting duties and waxing poetic on how everything in the film really happened. "A Spiderwick World" includes interviews with the book series' authors, and "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide," my personal favorite, has reprinted pages from the book with links to scenes in the film featuring specific creatures.

Disc 2 includes "Spiderwick: Meet the Clan," featuring interviews with all of the principals, "Making Spiderwick," which focuses on production design and cinematography, "The Magic of Spiderwick," covering CGI and voice work, and "A Final Piece of Advice," once again featuring Waters demurring that everything in Spiderwick is really true. There are four deleted scenes (some actually expanded scenes from the film version), which, to Paramount's credit, are released in enhanced, finished form (no timecodes here). Bringing up the rear on this disc are Nickelodeon spots for the film, as well as the theatrical trailer.

Final Thoughts:
The Spiderwick Chronicles doesn't quite muster the literal and figurative magic of the Harry Potter series, but it has a distinctly modern American voice and features some nice integration of CGI effects. It's certainly no masterpiece, but it is just as certainly recommended.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet