Starring Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker. Written by Karey
Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, and John Sayles, based on the books by
Tony DiTerlizzi, and Holly Black. Directed by Mark Waters. (PG) 95 min.
Opens Feb. 14.
Thanks to that kid-wizard franchise and those Ring movies, the children’s fantasy genre is experiencing a renaissance. However, recent efforts like The Golden Compass have hurt the cause by alternating between talky exposition and CGI action without capturing the excitement that defines the genre. Enter The Spiderwick Chronicles, a smaller franchise that lacks the obsessive fanbase or religious controversy that got previous genre entries attention, but has all the heart and adventure that many lacked.
The plot is typical: a family moves into a strange house and the children discover a book that reveals a secret world of goblins and fairies. The difference here is an intelligent script co-written by John Sayles that develops the story into a parable about children coping with divorce with a subtlety that avoids preaching. Add to that some impressive action/suspense directing by Mean Girls helmer Mark Waters plus a welcome layer of subversive humour and you’ve got an enjoyable fantasy movie.
The Spiderwick Chronicles also benefits from excellent cast lead by talented child actor Freddie Highmore, solid supporting performances by David Strathairn and Nick Nolte, and hilarious voice acting by Martin Short and Seth Rogen. That’s not to say the movie is perfect: the script condenses multiple books with some inevitably choppy sequences, many of the CGI creatures look unrealistically cartoony and the sentimental conclusion qualifies as corny. Fortunately, the overall effect is entertaining enough that the flaws can be forgiven, if not forgotten.