The Spiderwick Chronicles

Though The Spiderwick Chronicles ultimately fares a whole lot better than the majority of its contemporary fantasy brethren, there’s little doubt that followers of Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black’s series of books will find themselves scratching their heads at the omission of several key plot points and characters. Worse still, screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, and John Sayles have removed virtually any trace of the five novels’ decidedly epic sensibilities – something that’s certainly reflected in the baffling choice to move the film’s climactic battle from an imposing ogre stronghold to a ramshackle house (huh?) The storyline, which follows three siblings (played by Sarah Bolger and Freddie Highmore in a dual role) as they’re unwittingly drawn into an alternate world dominated by faeries, sprites, and other mystical creatures, basically retains the essence of DiTerlizzi and Black’s work, which does ensure that the film possesses a number of genuinely thrilling action sequences (although, admittedly, the filmmakers’ overuse of computer-generated effects sporadically lends such moments a distinctly cartoonish vibe). It’s consequently entirely likely that The Spiderwick Chronicles will work best for those viewers unfamiliar with the books, as fans will surely spend much of the movie’s brisk running time questioning the myriad of changes that have been made – with the most glaring and unwarranted example of this the downright bewildering decision to scrub the fifth tome’s tear-jerking conclusion in favor of a comparatively bland and upbeat finale.

**1/2 out of ****