Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) Directed by Mark Waters.
”Vengeance or death!... Hopefully vengeance.” Hogsqueal, the Hobgoblin.
The Grace family is a family in crisis. Mom is moving her brood to the ancestral mansion, belonging to her great Aunt Lucinda. There has obviously been a separation, and the children are dealing with it in various ways. Mallory, the eldest, is being as mature as possible. Simon, the more passive of the twins, is reasonable and rational…probably all the time, as a habit. But the other twin, Jared, there in lays the problem. Jared is being an @$$ as only a furious child can be. He is giving his mother the silent treatment, he hits things in fits of rage, and he picks fights with Mallory.
Lucinda’s home is a huge Victorian with considerable neglect and several odd things; there is salt on the window sills, huge stores of honey, oat meal, and tomato sauce, and a Faery Ring growing around the house. There is also something living in the walls. The kids discover a hidden dumbwaiter, and Jared rides it to the top. There he discovers a hidden room, and in that room, a secret Book: Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Magical Creatures.
Something does not want him to read the book. Weird things happen until he finally climbs into a chest to read unmolested.
His reading is interrupted when Mallory begins screaming. Something has tied her hair to the bedpost. Of course Jared gets blamed.
But Jared now has a clue what is going on. They have angered the house Brownie, turning it into a Boggart. He makes amends, and thereby meets Thimbletack, the Brownie. Thimbletack is the book’s guardian, and he explains that the house is protected by the Faery Ring, and that an Ogre, Mulgarath, seeks its power that he may kill the Faeries, becoming ever more powerful.
Now, the Ogre will stop at nothing to get the book, and it is up to Jared and his siblings to stop him.
Problems: Faeries are invisible unless they want to be seen. Also, as great Aunt Lucinda says of the scars on her forearms, “If they say 'suicide' and you say 'goblins', this place is where they put you.” Referring to the Sanitarium where she lives. And the book can not be destroyed.
So what can they do?
The Cast
Freddie Highmore ... Jared Grace / Simon Grace. This role is make or break. In any movie starring a child, you are rolling the dice. Fortunately, Freddie is up to the job. Oddly, it is with the less demanding role, Simon, that he gives the weaker performance. I don’t think the script really gave Simon a lot to work with, still, he does the best he can with what he has. This young man is one to watch.
Sarah Bolger ... Mallory Grace. Strong, smart, and only slightly smarmy, she is a great older sister. A fencer, she is no damsel in distress. Sarah is totally believable in the role, and does a nice job segueing between young adult trying to help mom, and irritated sister who wants to strangle a little brother who desperately needs it.
Nick Nolte ... Mulgarath. Type casting.
Mary-Louise Parker ... Helen Grace. I really liked Helen. It’s a small role, over all, but she did a really good job portraying a mother with one nerve left.
Joan Plowright ... Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick. A bit part, but sweet. Joan has been in everything. Her portrayal as a woman with a secret is spot on. She was so relieved to meet people who could also see.
David Strathairn ... Arthur Spiderwick. A reserved and proper Victorian gentleman who has lost sight of the big picture. Well acted.
Seth Rogen ... Hogsqueal (voice) A hobgoblin. Funny, but I thought he could have been done better.
Jordy Benattar ... Young Lucinda. Her resemblance to Joan Plowright is remarkable. Perfectly cast for the role.
Martin Short ... Thimbletack (voice) Comedy genius, of course he was up to the job.
Andrew McCarthy ... Richard Grace. A tiny bit part, but a nice role. There is something in his face that makes you think he could be the twins father.
I have not read the books. I am sure they are superior. And I think that maybe I am doing things in the right order. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I had no preconceived notions. So now, when I read the books, I will be pleased with the added depth they have.
I liked the message of independence it taught. These kids were thrust into a world they were ill prepared for, but they rose to the occasion and coped. Even Mom, freaked out by the reality of Goblins attacking her house, when Jared handed her a butcher knife and said, “Steel; it cuts and burns.” She took it and commented, “Thank G*d we’re New Yorkers.”
There is a lot of humour in this movie. Hogsqueal is supposed to add a lot to that, but he left me a little cold. Not that he wasn’t funny; I just felt someone like Eddie Murphy or Mike Myers could have been a lot funnier.
There is a lot of family togetherness. Despite the fact he is a horrid brat, Jared’s sibling stick by him. There is no question, they are in this together. And the problems they have in their family are the normal ones you expect. There is a lot of suffering because Helen wants to protect her boys. Kids are more resilient than we give them credit for.
The CGI of the faeries is wonderful; rich and textural, they bring the Invisible world to life. A superlative job from the technical point of view.
The movie is not flawless; there is perhaps something off in the pacing, but it is an excellent movie, and one the whole family can enjoy. There is a bit of violence that might be a bit much for the toddlers, but ones they are school age, they will probably love this movie. I know I did.
Based on the bestselling series of children's fantasy novels of the same name by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES follows the...More at Family Video
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