The Spiderwick Chronicles

**slickstu** · 06-04-08, 01:18 PM

The latest in a long string of kiddie fantasy flicks (including Terabithia, Golden Compass, Eragon, Narnia etc), The Spiderwick Chronicles's central plot revolves around a hidden cabal of forest-dwelling beasties who are awoken by the foolhardy reading of an aged manuscript and subsequently launch an offensive on the keeper of the said document. Yep, with a plot scarily reminiscent of Sam Raimi's seminal horror flick, this is The Evil Dead for kids, and true to form the film is quite scary for the children it's aimed at (the little girl sitting next to me spent the film on her father's lap). This is not necessarily a bad thing though, after all kids like being scared too, but parents of especially timid children ought to be warned.

What follows is a cliché-ridden, logically flawed film which only a child (with limited cinematic experience) can believe. The movie is replete with a creepy house with secret passages and hidden rooms, a distant "crazy" relative who turns out to be a paranormal expert, damaged children resulting from parental separation who inevitably muster the inner strength to become heroes, there's even a rooftop chase sequence. But all this is largely forgivable given its intended audience and besides the film possesses enough fun to engage adults through to its end, if only to witness the highly amusing and innovative means by which the bad guy is inevitably deposed.

If you can accept its mythology on face value despite how silly it is, then there's fun to be had here and it's timeless metaphor for the personal price of obsession and the reckless and egoistic pursuit of science makes it a worthy viewing for kids.

7.5 out of 10.