The Spiderwick Chronicles [Blu-ray] [2008]

See Larger Image	List Price: £24.99 Our Price: £17.97 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment Starring: Joan Plowright, Freddie Highmore, David Strathairn, Mary Louise Parker, Nick Nolte Directed By: Mark Waters Average Customer Rating:


Audience Rating: Parental Guidance Binding: Blu-ray EAN: 5051368202334 Format: PAL Label: Paramount Home Entertainment Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Paramount Home Entertainment Release Date: 2008-09-08 Running Time: 97 Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: 2008
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Editorial Reviews: Joan Plowright, Freddie Highmore, David Strathairn, Mary Louise Parker, Nick Nolte
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Spiderwick Chronicles, Blu-Ray Comment: 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' is a pretty decent family fantasy adventure film that was actually a lot better than I expected it to be. It follows a family who move to the country and find a book that shows how to find various supernatural and fantasy creatures. They have to stop the book falling into the wrong hands and here the adventure begins. The child actors are quite good and there's none of that precocious cutsey-ness that can drive you mad in other films. The effects are great and the storyline is pretty good as well. This film is quite short at just under 90 minutes and I didn't check my watch once as I became completely captivated by the story. If you like fantasy films then this should be right up your street and makes for a great afternoons viewing when you want a bit of fun and adventure. A solid four star film and well worth a try. Customer Rating: Summary: Never read the books but the film is a pleasant family friendly experience. Comment: This is a family movie, it is basicly a fairytale. If that put you off avoid the movie you probably won't enjoy it. The performances are all solid particularly that of Freddie Highmore, at least I think it was him I didn't check before writing this review. The effects are all solid if sometimes unspectacular. The set up is simple, family move to a new home and find out there is some dark mystery yadda yadda yadda. Much like many horror movies in fact but there isn't much here to scare kids too much, just enough to make it effective. The film stands alone very well so there is no need for a sequel but also there could very well be a follow on story. As a blu ray release it looks good, the short comings on effects are more visible but thankfully they are pretty solid anyway. Customer Rating: Summary: Too watered-down and cutesy Comment: The Grace family (mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, and their foil bearing sister, Mallory,) a little economically down on their luck and recovering from a nasty divorce moves into a creaky old house left to them by their great aunt Lucinda Spiderwick (Joan Plowright.) Jared (Freddie Highmore plays Jared Grace/Simon Grace) finds Uncle Arthur Spiderwick's"Field Guide to Magical creatures. " This unleashes a plethora of creatures that what the field guide to help them gain their rightful place in the world. Unfortunately their place means the elimination of the Grace family. Naturally mob is oblivious to the threat until it is too real to ignore and too late. The main theme to the story is of a dysfunctional family that must band together to survive the onslaught magical creatures. This results in each member understanding the other better; now they metamorphose to a co-dependent family. The set of books that are really one story in five cauterize books of course present a more in-depth story where the children are more cunning and resourceful. There were many compromises as movies must make them to fit the media and time constraints. However some changes were not necessary and down right uncalled for. Hogsqueal the hobgoblin was changed from a cunning creature that changed sides at will until and if his true colors showed, to a squealy revengeful cartoon character. I will not go into the other characters but also we are not told that the goblin's roasting spit is the family cat, leaving us to wonder if it was the Easter Bunny. And what is with the cuter walking off into the sunset type ending running a chivalrous exit. Because Blu-ray is just a standard now and everything is made in it there is no reason to go in to the intricacies. The DVD extras are mostly rehashing the movie. More Reviews