A Visually Stunning Fairy Tale

A few months back I remember reading David Cross’s blog in regards to some comments another comedian had made about his choice to accept a role in the film Alvin and the Chipmunks. The insulting comedian had rejected the role and Cross had accepted, which had brought about a slew of insults regarding the quality of the script, butchering of the franchise, etc, etc. Cross's argument was that even if the film was bad, even if he had little to no interest in it, that was fine by him because 1)it served as a good paycheck and 2)it was a kids movie, of which Cross is not the target audience. Cross even went on to say that he’s not seen the film, nor will he, as he doesn’t spend his time watching children’s movies.

The thought of being an adult and not watching children’s movies had honestly never crossed my mind. I’m a film lover and sometimes I sit through some pretty trite things just to enjoy my movie experience. I’ve seen Alvin, and all the Harry Potters, because I love movies. Maybe it’s the whole experience, or maybe I’m just addicted to simple, two hour entertainment. Does it mean I haven’t seen the new Rambo or films like Pan’s Labyrinth? Of course not. Either way, Cross certainly changed my perspective on how I look at certain children’s movies because, well, he’s right. If I hated Alvin and the Chipmunks (which I didn’t), that’s fine, because I’m not the target audience for it. And thus is the case with The Spiderwick Chronicles.

I did like the film, a lot, but I liked it from a children’s perspective. If I had kids, it’s something I would certainly show to them and I have good faith in believing that it’s something my non-existent kids would enjoy. The CGI is very well done and the story has some very engaging elements to it. This isn’t the kind of movie where you judge acting, nor line delivery. To me, this kind of fairy tale falls simply in the realm of whether or not it was entertaining, and it was. Very.

Plot: The story centers around a woman, Helen Grace, whose husband has left her for another woman and instead of being brutally honest with her children, she’s instead somewhat hid the fact from them and taken them to an old home in the country which has been in her family for years. The children’s aunt was put into a mental institution and the house has been empty ever since. Or so it appears. Helen, played by the always-wonderful-as-a-down-on-her-luck-single-mother Mary-Louise Parker, has three children: Jared and Simon, who are somewhat identical twins played by the very gifted Freddie Highmore, and a daughter, Mallory. Jared has had troubles coping with the change in scenery and loss of a father, and as a result, is eager to pick a fight with anyone and anything. Simon is the polar opposite of Jared, somewhat of a geek and very polite. Jared accidentally stumbles upon a sealed book in a hidden room within the house and the secrets it contains open up a whole new way of seeing the world. But, of course, there are evil forces who wish to get their hands on this possession and will stop short of nothing, and by nothing I mean waging war on the entire Grace clan.

There are some elements that work wonderfully here, including the use of CGI to bring to life the characters of Hogsqueal and Thimbletack (not the most original names, I know). These two characters become somewhat of the comic routine for the film, though their light heartedness plays perfect for all ages. Seth Rogan provides the voice for Hogsqueal and unlike other films where the actors voice distracts from the quality, this does not happen here. Martin Short, who has been more of a love-him-or-hate-him actor as of late, provides a lot of fun voicing Timbletack. I also thought the story was incredibly well told and would keep the attention of even the youngest child in your pack.

There are a few problems I had with it, of course, with the strongest being Mallory’s fencing practice. Mallory appears to be somewhere around the age of fourteen or so, and I was baffled as to why she was carrying swords early in the film. Then there’s a scene where she practices fencing on an unwilling Simon, which, of course, later turns into a scene where she must use her weapons to defend herself and her brothers from the attacking goblins. While the inclusion of the weapons does add a nice touch to fighting off such vile creatures, I had a very hard time believing that this character knew how to use a sword well, or that she would even have an interest in them. From a writing standpoint, it seemed like it was just tacked in quickly to provide a ‘fight’ scene. Also, I felt that the inclusion of a character presumed dead was a little forced and awkward, and didn’t fit with the overall style of the film. Maybe it was just the execution of said character though.

Regardless of what little problems I had with the film, overall it provided a very enjoyable time and would serve as a perfect treat to a family looking for an entertaining affair on a Friday or Saturday night. In fact, it easily rests in the same category as recent family films like Bridge to Terabithia, or either of the Chronicles of Narnia.