The Hindu : Karnataka News : A safe, enjoyable film for a holiday

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Saturday, Apr 19, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

A safe, enjoyable film for a holiday

GRIPPING NARRATION: A scene from ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’

The Spiderwick Chronicles (English)

Cast: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright

Director: Mark Waters

It is summer time which means vacations and kiddie films. So you have animation films and happy creature features where the maxim of bigger the better certainly rules.

The Spiderwick Chronicles does not push any envelopes but serves up fairly entertaining fare within the template of children’s films.

There is a spooky old house, a curious boy, a friendly brownie, a gross hobgoblin and a mean, ten-foot shape shifter ogre, all coming together to create a tale of dashing derring-do.

The Grace family, comprising Jared and his twin brother Simon, their elder sister Mallory and recently-divorced mum Helen, move from New York to the spooky Spiderwick estate belonging to Helen.

Jared, who has difficulty coming to terms with his parents’ separation, senses a presence in the house.

On investigation, he stumbles on a book written by his great, great uncle, Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to The Fantastical World Around You. The book reveals all the sprites and fairies and such like that co-exist with us.

However, there is a wicked ogre Mulgarath, who wants the book to rule the world. It is amazing how even other-worldly creatures have common, standard-issue megalomaniac ambitions.

Jared has to first convince his family that there are fantastic creatures around and then save the world from Mulgarath and his minion goblins.

Jared does both in high style with help from a slovenly hobgoblin, a brownie with a passion for honey, his sharp fencing sister and studious twin brother.

The movie has the expected “oooh” moments, including a race down the tunnel with a huge monster in pursuit, the flight through the air on the hardy griffin’s back and the final battle where the ogre changes shape from ugly ogre to uglier serpent and stupidly to a tweety-bird.

The acting is competent as are the effects. Mark Waters who gave us the smart Freaky Friday and smarter Mean Girls is in comfortable summer territory here and has given us a safe, enjoyable film.

MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER

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