ArtsEtc.

‘Spiderwick’ weaves delicate web of reality, fantasy

The mystical world of unicorns and fairies is hardly a foreign idea, especially to today’s youth, and the Harry Potter series definitely added its input to this subject a few years prior. While these chronicles failed to connect reality to their supernatural plot, “The Spiderwick Chronicles” sheds new light on a magical world that surrounds us all.

In this film, our worst nightmares have finally become reality, as a host of goblins and other co-conspirers band together to retrieve a book, penned by Arthur Spiderwick, that contains all the secrets to destroying the world as we know it. The Chronicles, now in the hands of three children, is in grave danger.

The Grace Children, Mallory and her twin brothers Jared and Simon, played by Sarah Bolgar (“Stormbreaker”) and Freddie Highmore (“August Rush”) have recently run into bad times with their parents. Unable to afford living in New York any longer, they, along with their mother, move into the house of Arthur Spiderwick as heirs of the late, great writer. After the move, strange events begin to take place that clue the trio into this new world. They thus embark on a quest to find Spiderwick’s daughter in hopes of discovering the secrets of how to destroy this book, which has caused so much pain.

The creatures created in “The Spiderwick Chronicles” are both real and believable, and they have a mystical aspect that makes them intriguing but not to the point where the audience cannot identify. And this goes to prove that kids — though often times naive — do really know what they are talking about.

Although she isn’t a main character of the story, the mother, Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parker, “The Assassination of Jesse James”), helps tie the worlds of magic and reality together, bringing the idea of ignorance into the plot. She shows how we so easily become engulfed in our own little worlds that we often forget that what we do actually impacts those around us — in ways otherwise unimaginable. The heart-wrenching struggle between Helen and Jared throughout the novel also does an impeccable job of illustrating a story that has become such a commonplace idea in today’s society, summoning the relationship of the single parent and the confused child.

That aside, the typical sibling rivalry also brings a comical aspect to an otherwise rather grim tale. The unique characteristics of each preteen is a welcome addition to the story, which makes the solemn plotline easier for the younger audiences to identify with when the strain and confusion of divorce becomes a little heavy for them to comprehend. It is this part that makes the movie not only enjoyable for kids, but a day out at the movies that the older audiences will enjoy as well.

Even if some viewers are the lucky few who haven’t had to deal with the gravity of divorce, the story is easy enough for many to sympathize with and understand just what the Grace family goes through. The trials and tribulations of child heartache don’t end there, as it seems that this family has been cursed with relationship problems from the beginning. Arthur Spiderwick, also, was too engaged in his work to realize how he had been hurting his family. Upon finishing his book, which he would deem his life’s work while others would go so far as to say it was his life, the fairy tale world in which he lived had completely engulfed him.

“The Spiderwick Chronicles” is truly an enticing adventure that leaves the audience in awe and bemusement. The special effects proved outstanding, and they only added to the reality that was contained within. This fairy tale adventure is one worth engaging in.

 

4 1/2 stars out of 5