Bedtime story, anyone?
The Spiderwick Chronicles
By Menreet Kaur
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright, David Strathairn, Seth Rogen, Martin Short, Sarah Bolger
Official website: http://www.spiderwick.com
Known for chick flicks such as Mean Girls and Head Over Heels, director Mark Waters took a bold step into the magical realm of fantasy with his latest movie, The Spiderwick Chronicles.
Unlike other fantasy films, Waters was able to fuse both reality and magic beautifully into the film by introducing the average modern day New-Yorker family unit to the all magical Spiderwick estate where goblins, fairies and house brownies were already permanent house residents.
How each family member reacted to the existence of these magical creatures displayed the varied personality traits of human beings. There was Jared (Freddy Highmore) who was the believer; his twin brother Simon (played by Highmore as well), the pacifist; the elder sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), the cynic; and their recently separated mother Helen (Mary-Louise Parker), the doubter.
Things started to get out of kilter when Jared found their great grand uncle's Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide To The Fantastical World Around You. Every ogre, troll and gremlin wanted to get their hands on that book so that they could rule the world and would go to any measure to obtain it. Thus far, the protective circle around the Spiderwick Estate has been keeping Jared and his family safe, but not for long.
Unfortunately, even though the climax of the film was built well throughout, the glorious moment of defeat proved to be slightly quizzical and very abrupt.
As always, Freddy Highmore exceeded expectations with his role in this film, interchanging flawlessly between his characters Jared and Simon. The editing was superb and one would have to make a double take before you realize that both Jared and Simon were meant to be twin brothers.
The lyrical play with all the phrases used by the characters made the film even more enjoyable. A rhyming assortment of words that would trick your mind if you weren't fine.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is a must-watch for families to let them inhabit themselves to the world of nature's fantastical creatures and to discover that there is always more to than what meets the eye.
Click clack, watch your back!
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