Both of these elements, which were far more central to the series of books, have been sacrificed in favor of more CG effects and action sequences. Neither the relationship of the Grace family nor the lore of Spiderwick and its fantasy world are explored with much depth at all. Of adrenalin inducing chases, sword fights, and explosions. What we get, instead, are ninety-minutes of artfully crafted CG animated creatures, such as Thimbletak (voiced by Martin Short) - the brownie guardian of the field guide who does mischievous things when he gets upset - and a plethora Sadly, throughout the entire film, we never get an explanation of all the things in the book and why or how it will make Mulgarath so powerful. The peril lies in Mulgarath (Nick Nolte), the shape-shifting ogre who wants possession of the one book to rule them all, uh, of the field guide, which will give him power over all of the "fantastical" creatures and humans as well. Of course he reads it, and it opens up a world of magical beings, of hobgoblins and brownies, ogres, trolls and more. As "children will be children," Jared goes on a expedition through the house and discovers Arthur Spiderwick's library where he comes across a book, Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, and a note warning not to read it or else risk peril. From the moment the family walk through the front door, strange things begin to happen, weird noises are heard, objects flash by out of the corner of one's eye, and the action starts in right away. Director Mark Waters doesn't allow the dysfunctional family issues to get in the way of his film for too long. Simon is a pacifist – we know this because he says so. Mallory is the typical elder sister bully, constantly practicing fencing, her extra-curricular activity of choice. Jared, the more assertive of the two twins, has anger issues over his parents' divorce. Aunt Lucinda bequeathed the mansion to the family after she was admitted to a sanitarium. The house is a typically creepy, dark mansion out in the middle of nowhere, which was once lived in by the family's ancestors Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn) and Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick (Joan Plowright). The Grace family, twins Jared and Simon (Freddie Highmore), their older sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and recently divorced mom Helen (Mary-Louise Parker) arrive at the Spiderwick Estate after moving from New York City. Based on the series of children's books, naturally, by author Holly Black and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi, and brought to the screen by director Mark Waters, The Spiderwick Chronicles follows the pattern of most recent films in the fantasy genre in that it plays down the darker elements of its source material in an effort to strictly target the "family-friendly", twelve and under crowd. This recent crop of fantasy fodder does one other thing that the Potter and Rings trilogies never did – and that is, purposely strip the subject matter of what may be deemed too difficult for children to cope with, thereby rendering the stories utterly superficial.Īlong comes The Spiderwick Chronicles into the fray of the rapidly cluttered field of fantasy films. First and foremost, it was their strong source material. Something all of these would-be successors to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings have in common is their complete lack of understanding as to what made the aforementioned films so successful. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, The Waterhorse, and most popular of them all, The Chronicles of Narnia - their response to The Lord of The Rings trilogy. torrent.Ever since the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in the winter of 2001, and the immense box office success that would follow, Hollywood has been on a seemingly never ending search for the next huge fantasy “franchise.” The ultra-conservative Walden Media, under the auspices of major film studios, have answered the call with numerous banal fantasy adaptations of their own, including The Seeker, Mr. When I : The Spiderwick Chronicles: Sarah Bolger Freddie Highmore Seth Rogen Mary-Louise Parker: Amazon Digital Services Lately I’ve been disappointed with the young fantasy films that have hit the big screen. The Spiderwick Chronicles is showing a lot of promise. Watch The Spiderwick Chronicles Online The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) cast and crew credits including actors actresses directors writers and more.
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