Rated PG for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements.
Directed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls, Freaky Friday…)
Starring Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte…
Good family fun.
I have to tell you right off the bat that scoring this was difficult. This was a really enjoyable film and almost received a “Theatre Worthy” score from me. It’s not often that you can find a good clean film these days that the whole family will enjoy. The Spiderwick Chronicles definitely is one of those. (So understand that my 14-year-old son is upset with me for not scoring it higher. In my kid’s mind, this film is Theatre Worthy.)
But I don’t give out my second highest score—Theatre Worthy—to any ol’ film. Spiderwick was good fun, but not without its problems.
The film is a fantasy film about a mother and three kids that move into the old run-down Spiderwick estate, only to find themselves pulled into an alternate world of fairies, trolls and other bizarre creatures.
The story, based on the popular children’s books, was very well written. The performances weren’t bad either. The problem was the genre.
Ever since The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, every fantasy film must stand next to those films and see where they measure up. Spiderwick is The Lord of the Rings red-headed stepchild. And let’s face it. How many films will measure up to Jackson’s perfectionism.
Spiderwick’s effects were okay by the 90’s standards, but I just wasn’t buying them. They were distractingly “CG” for me. Let me put it this way… Nick Nolte’s famous mug-shot taken years ago is much scarier than his Mulgarath character will ever be.
Remember that early scene in Jurassic Park where the Jeep pulls up in that field, and we, the audience, along with the characters in the film, first see the herding dinosaurs? Remember how real they looked? Remember that sense of, “Wow, it’s like you’re really there!”?
You’ll never feel that way in Spiderwick.
But don’t let my film snobbery ruin it for you. Your kids probably won’t even notice, and the film delivers on so many other levels. This is a great film to see in the theatre, but for me, it will only receive a score of “Rental.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
It’s clean… but might be a little scary for younger kids. It was truly PG with very little bad language.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
