A Heart Pounding Family Fantasy Adventure
Review by Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States)
The Grace family is moving from New York to the family estate in the middle of nowhere. It is no one's first choice, but newly single mom Helen (Mary-Louise Parker) has a job in the area. And it allows them a chance to move into the Spiderwick mansion. Helen is related to the Spiderwicks. In fact, she has inherited the mansion, so it cuts down on costs.
Of her three kids, daughter Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and son Simon (Freddie Highmore) are okay with the change. Simon's twin Jared (also Freddie Highmore) is not. He can't wait for his dad to come and get him out of there.
The house is creepy, and right away things start to go missing. Jared hears a noise in the wall that leads to the discovery of a dumb waiter and a hidden room. Exploring further, Jared finds an old book with a warning on the cover. Ignoring the warning, Jared opens the book and starts to read.
It's only after reading the book that Jared realizes what he's done. See, the book contains the secrets of all the creatures that are in the world around us that we can't see, like fairies, goblins, and ogres. And one ogre in particular, Mulgarath (voiced by Nick Nolte), wants that book so he can destroy everything. Now Jared, Simon, and Mallory are in the fight of their lives to find a way to defeat Mulgarath and stay alive. Can they do it?
This movie is an adrenaline fueled ride. It is creepy and intriguing from the first few seconds and builds from there. I was on the edge of my seat by the end. While I absolutely loved it, it might frighten young kids. I would seriously question whether anyone under 8 or so would enjoy it. Of course, you know your own kids best, so judge accordingly.
While a fast paced thrill ride, the story still hangs together. A couple things got glossed over in the ending, but they were minor. The acting is great as well, especially from Sarah Bolger and Freddie Highmore who carry the film since they are in every scene. Freddie makes both his characters different. I expect we'll be seeing lots more from him in the future.
The special effects could have been a little better. I don't know whether they were going for stylized or what, but they aren't up to the level we are used to seeing these days. And it just goes to show how spoiled we are because they are certainly adequate. They just aren't the blow your socks off stuff we normally see these days.
If this movie won't scare your kids, see it. Heck, see it even if you don't have kids. This is an entertaining fantasy thrill ride that anyone old enough will love.
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