jonsimon-132-132052 Once upon a time, upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures. Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames it all on Jared. When he, Simon and Mallory investigate what's really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate and of the creatures that inhabit it.Well directed with an interesting story that keeps you watching. Good acting all round, the CGI effects were well implemented too, with various characters and creatures popping up here and there to provide comedic relief and action pivotal plot development. The film was well paced and doesn't feel its been rushed. The other excellent transformations are when Mulgarath shape shifts at different points in the movie. The fight scene between the sister and the unseen goblins is pretty cool.Overall a good solid fantasy/adventure/action film for all. Would recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy films. Enjoy!

Wizard-8 I have to admit that when I sat down to watch this movie, I knew pretty much nothing about it, not even that it was based on a series of books. All I knew was that it was a family movie, so this adult was prepared for the worst. To my surprise, I found myself pretty entertained throughout. One reason was that the characters, as flawed as they are (there IS a lot of yelling and arguing by them, as some other posters have pointed out), are much smarter than characters in many other family movies. They do make some mistakes, but their mistakes are believable and even understandable. Another positive attribute is that the story moves very swiftly (though wisely not TOO swift) and that there are no lulls. There's a lot of action and excitement, but there are also some thoughtful moments here and there. And the special effects, while often obvious CGI creations, are all the same fun to watch. This adult was certainly entertained, so I think a lot of kids would be entertained as well. Though I feel I should mention that there are a few dark and scary moments that might freak out some more sensitive youngsters aged eight or under, so be aware.

SanteeFats An extremely well done and entertaining movie. When her husband dumps the family, mom and the three kids move back to daddy's old home. Aunt Lucinda, daddy's sister has been taken to a booby hatch because she sees fairy's so the house appears abandoned. Surprise! There is a brownie (Thimbletack) living in the house. He is there to protect a book written by Arthur Spiderwick before he disappeared many years ago. In this book Spiderwick has identified the unseen world. This book is sought by the king nasty fey Mulgarath. Nick Nolte has what is basically a cameo playing Mulgarath as an old man (he does the voice as well). He looks almost as bad here as in his mug shots. The CGI in this film is some of the best I have seen. When Thimbletack gets angry he transforms into another creature, the transformation is done seamlessly to my eye. He is brought back when given honey. The other excellent transformations are when Mulgarath shape shifts at different points in the movie. The fight scene between the sister and the unseen goblins is so well done. One of the twin brothers can see them using a special ring and calls out their positions to his sister using clock times. I can recommend this movie for the entire family it is just well done, funny, and serious.

kdnor2011 The Spiderwick Chronicles doesn't break any new ground in the fantasy genre. It's no Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, it's just a simple fantasy story about three kids encountering magical creatures. Yes I have read the books, and yeah it isn't as good as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or even Lemony Snicket's. It's just a really fun fantasy movie.The film takes all five books and fits them into an hour and a half movie. Now the books are incredibly short, so for the most part this actually works really well, but they cut out pretty much every single part of the fourth book, which may tick off some book purists. Also it rely's way too much on CGI. I've said it before, I like CGI, CGI is fine with me if it isn't completely abused. And it isn't bad CGI, but it is noticeable, and I feel that the film should have had at least a little bit of practical effects on the magical creatures.I don't really have any more problems with it. It doesn't talk down to it's audience. It follows the books really well. The young actors do a really good job, especially Freddie Highmore, who plays two characters who are complete opposites. I love home invasion stories, so the fact that they changed the end battle from a junkyard to the house. And it's just a really good fantasy adventure. It has all the magic creatures we expect, goblins, ogres, brownies, trolls, even sprites.Like I said, this film doesn't revolutionize the fantasy genre, it's just a fun adventure that brings you into a magical world of faeries.