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38
12 Rounds Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Spiderwick Chronicles, The
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MPAA RATING: PG for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements
Starring Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright, David Strathairn, Seth Rogen, and Martin Short
From the beloved best-selling series of books comes The Spiderwick Chronicles, a fantasy adventure for the child in all of us. Peculiar things start to happen the moment the Grace family (Jared, his twin brother Simon, his sister Mallory, and their mom) leaves New York and moves into the secluded old house owned by their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick. Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames Jared. When he, Simon, and Mallory investigate what's really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate, as well as the creatures that inhabit it. (Paramount Picture)
| GENRE(S): | Adventure | Drama | Family/Kids | Fantasy |
| WRITTEN BY: | John Sayles |
| DIRECTED BY: | Mark Waters |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: June 24, 2008 Theatrical: February 14, 2008 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 97 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 6.6 (out of 10) based on 36 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Shane C gave it a1:
Family friendly fantasy movies ...........not the sun kills his father at the end ... my 10yr daughter freeked out... i was like what the f just happen in a pg movie ... movie was just not the same after that.
Mona A. gave it a10:
This is a great family fun film. Viewers will be engaged in the fast moving plot that offers a slightly different view of the fantastical world from Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Any one who enjoys fantasy films will enjoy this movie.
John A. gave it a9:
Great story, well performed and cast. Great Great Great - best fantasy movie since Lord of the Rings.
Chad S. gave it an8:
When the daft old woman who converses with flowers was a child, she told authorities the truth about her missing father and the jagged gashes on her arm. Since the girl's pa was vaporized in midair levitation by a vortex of whorling white moths, and her nasty cuts came about from a confrontation with malevolent woodland creatures from another realm, she should've lied. The old woman is named Lucinda Spiderwick(Joan Plowright). Her father Arthur(David Strathairn) wrote a field guide that collated in totality all the otherworldly creatures that roamed in the woods of his backyard. As any writer will tell you, the act of edifying fabrications onto paper alchemizes lies into half-truths, as the flight of fancy transports the reader into a world of its own making. In "The Spiderwick Chronicles", Arthur's scholarly pursuits literally isolates him from the people he loves, and Lucinda, like many children of self-absorbed intellectuals, grew up without a father. When the Grace children coaxes Lucinda into talking about her father's book "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical", the viewer realizes that Lucinda would sound like a madwoman in any other context, except for the context of the sci-fi/fantasy genre. The authorities who institutionalized Lucinda mistook her lucid report of the fourth dimension as the rantings of a severely disturbed child. But Jared Grace(Freddy Highmore) knows that the old woman isn't off her rocker, and so does his twin brother Simon and sister Mallory(Sarah Bolger). The Grace children are like home-schooled Harry Potters. They don't have to board a magic train that's headed towards some haute-toite school of hocus-pocus for enchantment. That's why "The Spiderwick Chronicles" has more in common with the aesthetics of eighties-era Spielberg than the J.K. Rowling books. Bits of "E.T.", "Gremlins", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", and "The Goonies" can be gleaned from this sometimes astute children's film about how a father's compartmentalization of his interior life sprung a leak and spilled over into his personal one. All the nifty CGI effects in the world can't hide the fact that "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is actually a movie about a derelict dad.
Jay H. gave it an8:
Enthralling fantasy, wonderfully imaginative with excellent special effects. Beautifully done, excellent pace and exciting. Fun and very entertaining.
Luis G. gave it a6:
Take the kids i enjoyed this darker blend of fantasy high on thematic elements so beware.... visually stunning... another spring treat.
Wendi gave it a10:
Love! Love! Love! Amazing movie.
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