alone are amazing. If you don't like this movie, you have to admit, the special effects were amazing. If there were a sequel, I would most definitely see it as long as it has the same actors, special effects team, and director.

view it as a scary movie - the goblins and action might be startling for sensitive kids.

Narnia...As to the monsters / fairies- they were very well done indeed, quite believable considering they were computer generated.Well worth seeing, but I have the feeling it won't get as much publicity as the usual run of the mill children's movie...Why do I keep saying children's movie when I am 34?

film is incredible. I can't wait till it comes out to buy. This almost ranks among Harry Potter and it just about surpasses Narnia. Great film and I highly recommend it!

Arthur Spiderwick, Jordy Benattar as his young daughter-Lucy, Joan Plowright as the now much older Lucy, Mary-Louise Parker as the mother Helen Grace, Andrew McCarthy as her ex-husband Richard, and as her children, Sarah Bolger as Mallory, and Freddie Highmore as Simon and Jared Grace. I and my friend were pretty much captivated by everything that went on in this movie though initially I was a little irritated by how Mallory kept on harping on little brother Jared. Anyone with kids or is a kid at heart should also enjoy this wonderful production from Nickelodeon Studios. So on that note, I definitely recommend The Spiderwick Chronicles.

and the great aunt and too many things to list!

also protects himself and his family from the evil monsters that want the book to do harm. Ever since The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter films have done so well, filmmakers are taking other fantasy books and turning them into feature films as well. The majority of them that have been released over the past few years I have not seen because for one thing they did not look appealing to me at all and also because of bad word of mouth and reviews. I wasn't sure what I would think of The Spiderwick Chronicles, but to my surprise I thought it was pretty good. The film is aimed at a family audience even though some young children might be afraid of some scenes, but this is a film that I think kids will absolutely love and there is enough here for the grownups as well. The story sounds simple enough, but it is enhanced by a lot of creative creatures and imaginative things going on. The young cast each did their own and carried the film and even though I don't usually like computer generated effects in films, I didn't feel it was overdone here just for the sake of showing what today's new wonderful technology can do and I really appreciated that the film didn't go overboard with that. The running time moves along fairly briskly and the film is involving and interesting from the start and keeps it's energy and charm throughout the running time. There were a few repeated story patterns and clichés in the script, but there were also a lot of surprises and new takes on things, so that can be forgiven. When looking at a film like this at a child you would like the magic, imagination and the story that is woven in front of you with interesting characters, environments and a grand sense of storytelling that can make the make believe into a fun and entertaining film. This is all captured very well here and works as a fairy tale for kids 8 to whatever age. A creative enough story helped by good film-making and an eye for what kids and adults love about these movies make this film a generally good and above average family fantasy film of the past few years.

of mine were scarred. A couple of times I had to explain some things to my 5 year old. The head goblin is kind of scarry looking; but not too bad.

star Freddie Highmore, who seems to get cast in a lot of these fantasies Charlie And The Chocolate Family," "August Rush," "Arthur And The Invisibles," and "The Golden Compass" has a dual role in here, playing brothers "Jared"and "Simon Grace." Freddie is a fine actor, so no problem in that department. I hate to hear child actors, using God's name as exclamations, though, but that's not Highmore's doing. The only other annoyance is the frequent shouting with an older sister. However, once the adventure kicks into high gear, the arguing stops as the kids try to solve their major dilemma as a unit.Nick Nolte plays the big villain, "Mulgarath." but his role is surprisingly small. It's all those ugly, nasty little creatures who surround the house, who are the "bad guys." There are a number of somewhat scary scenes involving them, enough to entertain the post-pre-adolescent crowd.The star of the film isn't Freddie or the actors, or the story.....it's the special-effects, which are very good and a lot of fun to watch, from little beings to monsters to fairies to whatever. I saw this on Blu-Ray and it really looks good. All of it is very colorful and entertaining to view, making this a film fun for both kids and adults.