The Spiderwick Chronicles

What’s the Story?

When recently separated mom Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parker) inherits a "creepy old mansion in the middle of nowhere," her three kids have different reactions: Mallory (Sarah Bolger) is understanding, Simon (Freddie Highmore) is cautiously optimistic, and Jared (also played by Highmore) is furious. They soon discover that their great-great-uncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn) had unlocked the secrets to the magical realm that exists unseen around humans. When Jared disobeys a "beware" note and opens Spiderwick's 80-year-old field guide, he attracts the dangerous attention of goblins and their dark ogre leader Mulgarath (voiced by Nick Nolte) to the Grace family.

Is It Any Good?

Highmore -- an expressive, gentle-faced young actor in the mold of Haley Joel Osment -- does a fine job handling the twin brothers' disparate personalities. Likewise, Bolger, who co-starred in In America, is great as a big sister who knows her way around swords (she's an award-winning fencer). Both actors propel the film forward as kids caught up in a sometimes frightening fantasy world. The goblins and head ogre are scary without being terrifying like the orcs in The Lord of the Rings, and there are two memorably silly sidekicks: tiny, honey-loving house goblin Thimbletack (voiced by Martin Short) and gross-out, bird-hunting goblin Hogsqueal (Seth Rogen). Both lighten the dark mood considerably and will be beloved by younger viewers.

Those expecting a sophisticated CGI spectacle a la Peter Jackson or Robert Zemeckis may leave the theater disappointed. But director Mark Waters isn't aiming for a George Lucas-style epic employing revolutionary technology. His vivid adaptation of author Holly Black and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi's award-winning book series conveys magic with shots of swirling, flying dandelions carrying Mr. Spiderwick or colorful flowers turning into sprites. With an engaging script co-written by John Sayles, Waters has managed to ably adapt a kids-as-heroes story that parents will be happy to sit through without snoozing. And when it comes to family films, that counts for a lot.