The Spiderwick Chronicles
By JUSTIN CHANG
Jared/Simon - Freddie Highmore Helen - Mary-Louise Parker
Mulgarath - Nick Nolte Mallory - Sarah Bolger
Richard - Andrew McCarthy Aunt Lucinda - Joan Plowright
Arthur Spiderwick - David Strathairn Hogsqueal - Seth Rogen
Thimbletack - Martin Short
Young Jared is not happy to be leaving New York and moving into a rural Victorian house with his newly divorced mum, hot-tempered older sister Mallory and timid identical twin Simon. Jared [mischievous and temperamental] is immediately blamed for a series of what seem to be pranks that actually turn out to be Thimbletack a cute, elf-like brownie who changes, when aggravated, into an angry boggart. Thimbletack is one of the supernatural beings who live in the house, not all of them friendly.
Outside there are also goblins and invisible henchmen of the wicked, shape-shifting Mulgarath who's hell bent on obtaining a mysterious book left behind by Jared's great-great-uncle, Arthur Spiderwick long since dead (seen in flashbacks).
The book is a sort of scientific field guide to the various kinds of fairies etc who, along with the entire human race, would be in great danger if it were to fall into Mulgarath's hands, the book is safe within the house for the moment, but does it stay there ?
Jared must safeguard the book at all costs or the consequences are unthinkable, as you can imagine this gets him into all sorts of trouble, but first he must reveal its secrets in order to protect them, more importantly he must get his family to believe in the world he has found right outside their door, Jared does have a little help when he finds a friendly goblin called Hogsqueal and a very helpful Griffin.
I thought the film was very entertaining and the effects were seamless, every school boys imaginary adventure finding a problem and saving the day, or the book in this case.
