In the wake of “Harry Potter”, “Narnia” and “The Lord Of The Rings”, studios are falling over themselves to adapt any fantasy book for the kiddie market. The latest is “The Spiderwick Chronicles”, based on a series of books I'd never heard of but which I'm assured are big sellers with the milk and cookie crowd.
The hero of the chronicles is Jared Grace, who, with his twin Simon, older sister Mallory and recently divorced mum has moved into spooky Spiderwick estate.
The old mansion was once owned by Arthur Spiderwick, who discovered a secret parallel universe of fairies, goblins and other assorted beasties. Some are nice, others are nasty. And the nastiest of all is Mulgarath, who needs Arthur Spiderwick's book so he can control both worlds.
“The Spiderwick Chronicles” is formulaic with its dysfunctional family and isolated house as portal to another world.
Freddie Highmore does well to makes his dual roles of Jared and Simon distinct and Sarah Bolger's good as their disbelieving older sister. But it's the adults who're really short-changed by the script.
Mary Louise Parker makes what she can of the mother role, but David Strathhairn looks embarrassed as Arthur Spiderwick. And while the special effects are inventive, it's the creature characters which disappoint the most.
Voiced by Nick Nolte, Mulgarath is a bland, generic villain, and Seth Rogen as Hogsqueal and Martin Short as Thimbletack don't have a funny line between them.
It's a shame that Mark Waters, who directed the hip, funny kiddie comedies “Mean Girls” and “Freaky Friday” couldn't inject humour and energy into this one. Only at the end, when he lets loose, referencing “Gremlins” and “The Evil Dead”, does the film really come alive.
As a kiddie fantasy that's better than “Arthur & The Invisibles” but not a patch on “Lemony Snicket”, this rates two and a half stars.
