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The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

Director: Mark Waters

Time Out rating

Average user rating

44 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Another middling, thrill-neutral salvo of ‘Potter’-lite CG goblins and fairies in which three tenacious teens are forced to shield their secluded pastoral mansion from an attack by the evil ogre Mulgarath (Nick Nolte, who else?).

To achieve this, they must follow the lunatic scribblings of their late, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick, a reclusive naturalist who dedicated his life to chronicling all of the fantastical gubbins that arose from the forest surrounding his estate. Angel-faced Brit Freddie Highmore puts on a passable yank accent for a dual central role as the angular Jared and his dorky twin Simon, with the pair dashing from one situation of mild peril to the next.

If they’d bothered to read the book from cover to cover in the beginning, they would have been able to extricate themselves from their predicament with relative ease. Instead, their hurried, intermittent dipping-in of the text means that the baddies are constantly allowed to gather their bearings and develop a new way of attacking them. Pesky kids.

Author: David Jenkins

Time Out London Issue 1961 March 20-26 2008

User reviews of this film

cricketcrazy13 said...

Posted on May 25 2008 14:11 really good. Not at all babyish.Much better than I thought.Recommend it.

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eme xxx said...

Posted on May 23 2008 17:32 jo1its of cours SPIDERWICK CHRONICALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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eme xxx said...

Posted on May 23 2008 17:29 its mint i`m so into it no i dont have kids i`m 9! i`ve got all the books but it mist out iorn wood tree but mallerys my fav mint,mint,mint and mint again

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Jo said...

Posted on May 20 2008 14:09 I am taking my daughter and her friends to the cinema for her birthday. The children are 5 and 6 years old. Which film is best The spider wick chronicles or Horton hear a who? please reply.

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Ethel said...

Posted on May 03 2008 21:14 Excellent movie ,took my 7 year son to watch the movie he loved every min of it , I enjoyed it too. Must watch

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mike hunt said...

Posted on May 03 2008 10:28 Initially I thought the camera work was far too dark to see what was happening clearly however it did improve when I realised I still had my sunglasses on !

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jemma said...

Posted on Apr 29 2008 20:59 i haven`t seen it but i really want to my friend said it was awsome so i would recommend because she isn`t really into films

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Natasha said...

Posted on Apr 27 2008 06:51 Took my son for his 3rd Birthday & also his sister who has just turned 5. They already had the toys & the short story from the Happy Meals at Mc Donalds so were excited to go. Good film, kept them in their seats & told their friends all about it afterwards so it must have been good in their eyes. Worth viewing.

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laughing cow he he said...

Posted on Apr 24 2008 17:55 This film was actually really good, exactly like the books! i'd deffo recomend it a must see film!!! he he

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Sally- Jean said...

Posted on Apr 24 2008 14:54 Absolutly brilliant film. Went to see it twice i loved it so much! I think any one who likes this film will also like terry pratchett and neil gaiman alike as the story is similar to some of theres. Absolutly bloody brilliant film definatly going to have to buy it on DVD!!!

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joshey said...

Posted on Apr 22 2008 19:10 well guys i'm debating weather to see son of rambow or spiderwick chronecals, any suggestions.

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cj said...

Posted on Apr 22 2008 16:47 i will write what i think of it when ive seen it !!! im gunna c it with a,s and z

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cj said...

Posted on Apr 22 2008 16:45 it sounds brill n im gunna c it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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usman khawaja said...

Posted on Apr 20 2008 14:40 a naive but charming chronicle
freddy highmore is a delightful actor and talented too ,more so then a lot of adult stars and he seizes every oppurtunity to shine in this charming ,albeit cliched magical adventure .
i liked the wondrous cinematography particularly the flight of the giant chicken to the magical MEADOW,the magic flowers are great too,the ogres look a bit over the top,but the art direction is superb from the sets to the old house itself ,all those antiques being broken broke my heart though,hope they were chinese repros.
but best of all,i like the story of aunt lucinda a 86 year old granny-awaiting her fathers return ,a scientist who was lost in her childhood to magical experiments and discovery,this gives the movie a heart and makes it conspicuous among the rest of the fantasy adventures ,
highmore is going to be a high flyer in future ,obviously a sequel must be in pipeline ,this was miles ahead of a lot of trash i have seen recently ,for its plot and execution .- jbz7879

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Allie said...

Posted on Apr 19 2008 20:15 This was a an enjoyable film that my 8 year old loved; kids, monsters and troll type things at the bottom of the garden - It had the feel of A series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snickett) mixed with a classic fairy tale. A good all round family movie, although my 4 year old was scared of the main character monster. No good for adults only.

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