A run-of-the-mill fantasy adventure.
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10/18/08
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
79
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:138
Fresh:109
Rotten:29
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: The Spiderwick Chronicles is an entertaining children's adventure, with heart and imagination to spare.
Theatrical Release:21-03-2008
Synopsis: Based on the bestselling series of children's fantasy novels of the same name by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES follows the adventures of the Grace family, newly... [More]
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright
Director: Mark Waters
Reviews for The Spiderwick Chronicles
Top CriticEnjoyable, well made children's fantasy adventure with likeable characters, impressive special effects and a decent script.
10/18/08
Unexpectedly gripping.
03/25/08
Top CriticA jolt of personality and above-average effects make this kids' fantasy adventure entertaining enough to overcome the cliches in its premise.
02/28/08
A late entry in a crowded field, Spiderwick works hard to set itself apart from the competition, and almost entirely succeeds - no mean feat these days.
03/20/08
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/18/08
Sloppy, secondhand pander.
02/14/08
Top CriticInstead of absorbing us into this magical landscape, this adaptation crams all five books together into a frenetic and frustrating 24-hour-escapade
02/14/08
For the uninitiated? Man, it's a bummer.
02/14/08
a Ghoulies for the post-millennial crowd, complete with lots of short attention span flash
02/14/08
The Spiderwick Chronicles, while not without its virtues (including a genuinely sweet ending), goes too far on the frightening front, especially for a young audience.
02/13/08
I kept wishing for another scene with Mulgarath in the form of Nolte, because, well, you can never have enough Nolte, and because his particular brand of kinetic insanity would have been just what the movie needed to shake up its clockwork smoothness.
02/14/08
Top CriticOh, great -- another kiddie fantasy film. How exciting!
02/27/09
If you're going to compete in an arena already owned by the "Harry Potter" and "Narnia" franchises, you'd better enter that fray determined to show you can compete favorably with them. And that's where "Spiderwick" runs into trouble.
03/09/08
The movie, based on the best-selling series by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, tells parallel tales of fathers who abandon their children, but it glosses over the trauma of those sagas in favor of special-effects-laden escapism.
02/14/08
As Spiderwick keeps time with the notion that kids' fantasies must feature bad, absent, or otherwise troubling parents, it also offers precious little in the way of clued-in adults.
03/21/08
There's nothing wrong with it that passion and personality couldn't fix.
02/11/08
The voice of the novels is lost in translation; what’s left is something that’s merely by the book.
02/13/08
Its simplistic and occasionally juvenile plot is at odds with its more mature subject matter. The Spiderwick Chronicles is flashy and diverting, but also ultimately insubstantial.
02/13/08
After lovingly setting up the intricate relationships among its characters Spiderwick loses itself in the action and pretty special effects, only recovering in time to do a rushed, pat wrap-up.
02/13/08
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