Freddie Highmore,
Mary-Louise Parker,
Nick Nolte,
Sarah Bolger,
Andrew McCarthy
... see more 
Mark S. Waters's adaptation of the popular fantasy novels The Spiderwick Chronicles tells the tale of the Graces, a family who must adapt to their new strange surroundings. As the story begins, twin b... read more
Directed by: Mark Waters (VIII)
Release Date: January 31, 2008
Keywords:
family,
cute,
kids,
little,
fantasy,
adventure,
children's,
www,
media,
magical,
short,
harry potter,
special effects,
fantasy film,
freddie highmore,
Harry Potter ,
Times New Roman,
Freddie Highmore ,
Seth Rogen
DVD Release Date: June 24, 2008
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Stats: 16,764 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (16,764)
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July 25, 2008A fun childrens movie. Both my daughters 7 and 9 liked it. good effects and Freddie Highmore was excellent.
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August 28, 2011This was one of the most imaginative films ide ever seen and it still is fantastic to watch even 3 years after its release and ill have to admit it, i did cry at the end of the movie
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July 19, 2011Even though the five-book saga was CLEARLY meant to be a motion picture, the movie it turned out as was not faithful and skipped a lot of crucial detail. Typical when you're adapting 600+ pages into an hour and thirty-seven minutes of screen-time.
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May 15, 2011Not bad, it really was fun actually. This isn't something amazing and a lot of people will forget about it, but it is a really good adaption and sure deserves some recognition.
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September 16, 2010Mark Waters delivers a high caliber fantasy adventure with The Spiderwick Chronicles.
At roughly 90 minutes, this picture makes the most of it by successfully setting up characters quite swiftly, yet successfully. More than half of the film also takes place at a single
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August 31, 2010Felt like it tried to pack too much into too little time and in doing so failed to develope the characters and back stories as much as I would have liked.
But it was fun, for the most part. -
August 2, 2010This fantasy film's problem has to be the uncertain target audience. There is too much action and scary creatures for the little ones, and the older kids may find it all a bit too kitschy and childish. Fact is, the film is fast paced, entertaining and (mostly) has some great prod... read more
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July 6, 2010it was a touching and magical family flick with some pretty scary parts.. ogres are frightening.
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April 30, 2010There are "children's movies" that, while aimed at a young audience, still manage to engage and entertain an older crowd; but in this film I was constantly aware that it was written for children, to be viewed by children... almost as if I were an interloping adult who should have... read more
Critic Reviews
October 18, 2008
Tom Charity, CNN.com
February 19, 2008
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
I found it to be more irritating than scary, more tedious than exciting.
February 16, 2008
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine
A pleasing melange under the direction of Mark Waters, who, after Freaky Friday and Mean Girls, is becoming the go-to auteur of traumatized youth. Full Review
February 15, 2008
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
Meticulously rendered CGI creatures spike this dark adventure, shot marvelously by Caleb Deschanel. Full Review
February 15, 2008
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
Director Mark Waters does a fine job meshing the fantastical with the quotidian. Full Review
February 14, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
A well-crafted family thriller that is truly scary and doesn't wimp out. Full Review
February 14, 2008
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
For the uninitiated? Man, it's a bummer. Full Review
February 14, 2008
Claudia Puig, USA Today
The movie, based on the best-selling series by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, tells parallel tales of fathers who abandon their children, but it glosses over the trauma of those sagas in favor of sp... Full Review
February 14, 2008
Philip Marchand, Toronto Star
The Spiderwick Chronicles exemplifies a problem with many of today's fantasy-adventure movies: the sense that narrative values, such as the artful building of suspense, can be slighted because the com... Full Review
February 14, 2008
David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
The film is graced with a mostly superb cast, superior special effects, a sparkling musical score by James Horner and a fantasy-filled plot with a bit of moralizing, but, fortunately, only a bit. Full Review
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The Spiderwick Chronicles
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