If there’s anything wrong with The Spiderwick Chronicles, it’s the timing of it. With fantasy films in high gear, most notably Harry Potter and Narnia, there’s always going to be a gem mixed in that doesn’t find the same audience. That’s The Spiderwick Chronicles -- a quality affair that deserved the same credit as the above-mentioned films and never quite got there.
At the heart of the film is Freddie Highmore. He plays dual roles here, cast as twin brothers in amazingly convincing fashion. If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t even be able to tell it’s the same kid.
It’s important to the film, as the twins have distinct personalities that are necessary to convey when a book is opened revealing a world of odd creatures living among us. As it turns out, this book is valuable to an evil troll who’s been after it for some time. The kids become trapped in the middle of a world within a world, the performances making this engaging and entertaining throughout.
Spiderwick is loaded with action, but it never intrudes on the story. There’s a leap of faith on the part of the screenwriters that the audience will simply accept what they see on screen. It’s likely the book goes into further detail, though what’s on screen is enough to get by. Given the dearth of family oriented fantasy worlds out there, expecting someone to take on another set of goblins and trolls isn’t asking much.
Creature designs are all around excellent, as are the visual effects. They create a creepy and intense atmosphere that sits firmly within the PG rating. Some of the action gets surprisingly violent (burning the faces of trolls off with their one weakness), and makes up for some of the repetition in the story. Audiences are constantly reminded that evil Mulgarath wants the book, and it feels as if someone thought kids wouldn’t understand this simplest of plot points.
Also inserted is a somewhat clichéd but complex issue involving a parental separation that may be a bit much for some kids, particularly if they’ve experienced it. As for the film, it strengthens the characters in the early going to give them some motivation to set things in motion.
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