THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES Film Review - 29/6/08

In an obvious rush to get as many child-friendly fantasy features out as possible Nickelodeon has joined the crush trying to get to the top of the pile with their version of "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and a hefty dose of saccharine it is to swallow. This is also top of the grade though for any Family Adventure with little in the way of anything to offend but could be slightly more frightening for younger children. A few references cover some adult themes but more with subtle nuances rather than anything heavy-handed. Something like this I would have watched many years ago along with the likes of "The Neverending Story" or "Labyrinth" and thoroughly enjoyed it - Now I'm looking through the rose-tinted specs of time! An entertaining yarn with good effects and a likable cast push this further up the slope than some of the more recent child-fantasy cack that has been doing the rounds!

A family with parental problems ends up in an old isolated house in the woods and the children of the family stumble across an old book. Suddenly they are thrust into a magical world all around them and find they need to defeat an evil ogre with his own plans on the book.