Customer Reviews

Never read the books but the film is a pleasant family friendly experience. - By: genejoke, 31 Aug 2008
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 & find out there is some dark mystery yadda yadda yadda. Much like many horror moviesin 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.

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Too watered-down and cutesy - By: B. Chandler, 24 Aug 2008
The Grace family (mother, twin brothers Jared & Simon Grace, & their foil bearing sister, Mallory,) a little economically down on their luck & 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 placein 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 & too late.

The main theme to the story is of a dysfunctional family that must band together to survive the onslaught magical creatures. This resultsin each member understanding the other better; now they metamorphose to a co-dependent family.

The set of books that are really one storyin five cauterize books of course present a more in-depth story where the children are more cunning & resourceful. There were many compromises as movies must make them to fit the media & time constraints. However some changes were not necessary & down right uncalled for. Hogsqueal the hobgoblin was changed from a cunning creature that changed sides at will until & 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 & everything is madein it there is no reason to goin to the intricacies. The DVD extras are mostly rehashing the movie.