February 21, 2008 in GENRES
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
CAROLINE: I’d like to thank you for seeing “The Spiderwick Chronicles” without me since you know I can barely muster the patience for children’s movies these days.
RYAN: I know you’d rather have a tooth pulled without Novocain than sit through a film based on a novel for kids. But I not only enjoy these kinds of movies, I love them.CAROLINE: And how did this one hold up against the ones you’ve loved?
RYAN: Well it doesn’t suck. I like little Freddie Highmore, who plays twins in this film; though one twin has a much larger role than the other. And Sarah Bolger, the girl who plays the sister is terrific. She has the clearest blue eyes. Of course, Mary-Louise Parker is always great.
CAROLINE: Isn’t Nick Nolte in it too?
RYAN: Yes! And it’s sort of an appropriate role because he plays the monster and he’s completely grotesque-looking, which means they clearly wanted to save money on makeup so they just cast a naturally creepy-looking person.
CAROLINE: He does sort of chronically look like his mug shot, doesn’t he?RYAN: Completely.
CAROLINE: How does this flick stack up against Harry Potter and other fantasy films of that ilk?
RYAN: It’s definitely better than Lemony Snicket’s “Unfortunate Events” but it cannot hold a candle to Harry Potter. It’s not a smart movie. And there’s not a secondary moral that I could pick up on or anything.
CAROLINE: Not that it requires one to be a good, entertaining time.
RYAN: True, but it was just entirely formulaic and predictable. There were no surprises at all.CAROLINE: How were the effects?
RYAN: They were pretty good. And Martin Short and Seth Rogen voice some goblin-esque creatures that provide a bit of comedy.
CAROLINE: So what’s the bottom line here?
RYAN: It’s great for kids. It’s not necessarily universal for an older audience the way the best kids movies are, but if you’re at all inclined to see it, catch it on the big screen ‘cos the effects won’t mean as much on a television in your family room or bedroom. But it’s not must-see.