Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Fluke_Skywalker Plot; When he and his family move into an old family estate, a young boy finds a book that opens his eyes to an unseen world of goblins and monsters. Came out at the tale end of Hollywood's "Get me the next Harry Potter!" phase (which was followed by the "Get me the next Twilight!" phase, which was followed by the "Get me the next Hunger Games!" phase, etc.). Fares better than most, w/solid direction and great performances from a young Freddie Highmore (in a duel role) and Sarah Bolger. Starts off w/a real sense of mystery, but bogs down a bit w/a wonky and undercooked mythology and a villain who isn't present enough to create true menace.

coletteerck I really liked this movie from beginning to end. Although the special effects were good they did not have to make up for any flaws in this film. The story could be interesting to both kids and children, and has a good theme about how to move on in life when things change and how to deal with stress in the family,so maybe a good one for the holidays. There are some fight scenes but nothing too gruesome and very good role models and characters in both male and female characters. I just loved this movie and now need to read the books. I felt though some parts were really interesting and could have been developed more, sometimes the movie just moves along to quickly almost seeming to leave loose ends. Also more scenes with just the fantasy characters not interacting with the human characters. But this story was really heart warming and entertaining and reminded me of favorite children's books of my childhood.

Leofwine_draca THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES is a perfectly entertaining children's fantasy film that provides a neat alternative to those viewers who've overdosed on Harry Potter's antics. This one is a neat, standalone tale of mythical monsters and invisible beasties, and the three kids who have to fight them in an old, crumbling house in the remote countryside.The film provides plenty of action and lots of special effects (CGI, of course), which are for the most part very well achieved. There's humour (some of which, like the Seth Rogen character, I could have done without), scary scenes, and a great deal of imagination. It's all very familiar and rather predictable - in fact, I had virtually the same idea for a story like this, once - but there's little to dislike.Okay, so the script could have been a little tighter; there's a little too much yelling and shrillness early on, before the characters of the protagonists are given a chance to come out. The casting of Freddie Highmore in the dual role is very good, though, and something I didn't spot until about halfway through. Sarah Bolger, late of THE TUDORS, is excellent as ever. The director could have been better, but as I said, there's little to dislike in this one.

nbwritersinbox Benefiting from Deschanel's superb cinematography, this fantasy adventure has moments of elegant finesse that make it unusual in terms of modern (often brutal) cinema. The gentler "faerie" sequences and closing credits were like a lullaby for the eyes. Helped considerably by Horner's enchanting score.A well-constructed screenplay keeps the action flowing, while there's enough common-sense in the script to establish the main characters. There's even humorous asides, but these were too few to lift my spirits, as Jared and other family members deal with the emotional destruction of divorce.The writing takes a different approach to JK Rowling's since, here, Jared has to assume the role of a missing father, while Harry Potter is tasked with rebuilding a sense of family from scratch. Although, divorce as a topic is well-worth exploring, since it haunts modern society. JK Rowling tends to ignore that difficult issue entirely.Parallels with Harry Potter are unavoidable. Spiderwick's "Griffin" sequences were far too reminiscent of those seen at Hogworts. Nil points for originality there. Paramount obviously decided to compete with Warner Brothers for a highly lucrative "fantasy film" audience. Hijacking an idea wholesale didn't impress.Goblin sequences relied too heavily on CGI, although Thimbletack limited the damage by being a new CGI "take" on the "house-elf". Plowright (as Lucinda) and Highmore (in a dual-role) acted their socks off, not helped much by mediocre support. I can imagine Emma Watson or Natalia Tena, for example, making much more of swashbuckling "Mallory". Some poignant moments - due in most part to a thoughtful script and Highmore's considerable acting abilities. Keep the tissues handy.