He's the one who gets a peek at the elves, fairies, goblins and hobgoblins that were their great uncle's obsession. But Jared, the twin with anger issues, is intrigued. Simon, the bookish twin, isn't any more curious about this than Mom or sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger). Their 'nut job' aunt has filled the pantries with salt, oatmeal, honey and tomato sauce, and salt is piled on every windowsill. There are skittering sounds inside the walls. A top-drawer cast, sympathetic script (indie icon John Sayles did a draft or three), a director known for delicious teen edge and one of the great cinematographers of our time have conjured up a topical, whimsical and occasionally magical action romp through a world we know, but don't fully see.īest of all, 'Spiderwick' embraces its childishness, even if the fate of the 'human world' is at stake.Ī depressed, newly single mom (Mary Louise-Parker) drags her three kids to an inherited home in the boondocks, 'the house that time forgot,' 'that smells like old people,' her twins, Simon and Jared (Freddie Highmore), complain. 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' is a lighthearted contrast to all those fantasies freighted with the fate of the 'human world,' movies toting the weight of this or that studio's stock value. These fans seem more worried about 'franchise' than fun. Fantasy films became all about the blockbuster, sequels, mountains of merchandise, all sold to a ready-made fan base, fans who, often as not, weren't the children these stories were originally intended for. Somewhere on Harry Potter's quest for the One Ring, the golden compass has led us astray.
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