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Movies / On DVD / The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Spiderwick Chronicles

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The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

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79 %
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Reviews Counted: 131

Fresh: 103

Rotten:28

Average Rating: 6.6/10

Consensus: The Spiderwick Chronicles is an entertaining children's adventure, with heart and imagination to spare.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements.

Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release: Feb 14, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $71,148,699

Synopsis: 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 adventures of the Grace family, newly transplanted from New York City to an inherited... 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 adventures of the Grace family, newly transplanted from New York City to an inherited home in the remote New England woods. Angry with his mother (Mary-Louise Parker) about the move, the sulky Jared (Freddie Highmore) begin to explore the strange old house, and discovers a magical tome written by his great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn). Soon Jared and his twin brother, Simon (also played by Highmore with the aid of seamless special effects), are drawn into a realm of goblins, boggarts, and ogres--a reality that coexists with the human world. By the time the boys' older sister, Mallory (Sarah Bolger), is in on their secret, the siblings are steeped in a conflict with the evil shape-shifting ogre Mulgarath (Nick Nolte), who will stop at nothing to get Spiderwick's book. Directed by Mark Waters (THE HOUSE OF YES, MEAN GIRLS) and scripted in part by lauded filmmaker John Sayles (THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH), SPIDERWICK succeeds as an engaging kid-oriented movie that also offers up genuine thrills and chills for adults. Highmore and Bolger impressively mask their British and Irish accents, respectively, and display a convincing brother/sister bond, while Martin Short and Seth Rogen provide comic relief as the voices of unlikely CGI allies. Intentionally smaller in scope than other like-minded literary adaptations such as THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and THE GOLDEN COMPASS, SPIDERWICK is rooted in a beautifully earthy, antique aesthetic that provides the perfect setting for its likable protagonists and bizarre-yet-naturalistic creatures. [More]

Starring: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright

Starring: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright, David Strathairn, Seth Rogen, Martin Short

Director: Mark Waters

Director: Mark Waters
Screenwriter: Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, John Sayles
Producer: Mark Canton, Larry Franco, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Karey Kirkpatrick
Composer: James Horner
Studio: Paramount Pictures

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Release:

Jun 24, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Unspecified - English

Reviews for The Spiderwick Chronicles

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
10/29/08
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/18/08
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
10/18/08
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
10/18/08
Tom Charity
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: NPR | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
NPR
Ratings Image

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Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/18/08
Steve Davis
Austin Chronicle
Ratings Image

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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/18/08
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
10/18/08
Reel.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Como fábula, não é das mais originais, mas ainda assim tem seu charme em função do carisma de Higmore, dos bons efeitos visuais e do desfecho tocante.

comment Comment
09/17/08
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
Ratings Image

We just don't get good children's entertainment like this anymore...

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
09/06/08
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
Ratings Image

This movie didn't really blow me away, but it was mildly enjoyable and should keep all of the fantasy fans happy

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
07/22/08
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine
Ratings Image

Seen through the eyes of a child, this adaptation my lack originality but is fast paced, contains enough fantasy to balance the family drama and is, at times, very scary.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
07/19/08
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
Ratings Image

sacrifices its undercurrent of pain and abandonment to big-budget special effects

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
07/01/08
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
Ratings Image

Based on the series of five serial children's novels, The Spiderwick Chronicles is a hollow spectacle that's good for the action and effects but light on everything else.

Full Review Source: Movie Views | comment Comment
06/28/08
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views
Ratings Image

For a movie about magical beasts, The Spiderwick Chronicles does an awfully good job of pegging childhood emotional realities, particularly in a context of divorce. [Blu-Ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
06/23/08
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews
Ratings Image

good enough to keep you and an older child entertained, but don't expect the next Harry Potter fever to emerge from this movie.

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment Comment
06/20/08
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com
Ratings Image

Tosses together hobgoblins and home-alone latchkey kids with tomato sauce baggies as instruments of battle, bad parenting, and boy and girl savior daydreams fulfilled on screen.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
06/19/08
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze
Ratings Image

...imaginative fun, derivative, to be sure, but amusing and entertaining and just a little bit scary by turns, at least for kids.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
06/13/08
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
Ratings Image

At 97 minutes this not just a great Saturday matinee for 10 year-olds, but one for their indulgent parent(s) or handy dandy favorite gay relative/babysitter as well.

Full Review Source: Windy City Times | comment Comment
05/22/08
Richard Knight
Windy City Times
Ratings Image

Lord of the Deathly Thingamabob

Full Review Source: Style Weekly (Richmond, VA) | comment Comment
05/07/08
Thomas Peyser
Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)
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Latest News for The Spiderwick Chronicles

September 08, 2008: Spiderwick Producers Are Spanking Shakespeare for Paramount Opens in new window
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