Ang mga Kasaysayan ni Spiderwick

This was sooooo late but I promised me-self I'll write commentaries for every film I'll watch in the cinemas. So...


The Spiderwick Chronicles
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!

The story revolves around the Grace family, who move away from the city to live on a ragtag countryside mansion owned by their grandaunt Lucinda. Early on the movie, strange things happen inside the house that eventually lead to the discovery of a coexisting fantastical "dimension" of goblins, sprites, and fairytale beings. All of which are detailed on a collection of journals written by their great-grand uncle Arthur Spiderwick. This same tome is being coveted by an evil ogre, Mulgarath, for it contains information that can give him powers unimaginable... wait... UNIMAGINABLE!!!

Yan.

Kiddie fantasy adventure plot follows which eventually leads to Mulgarath's defeat and Aunt Lucinda reunited with her lost father, Arthur. A stereotypical fairytale ending.

I have to admit I enjoyed the fantasy ride. The comic reliefs has been well-placed into the story when things get serious. The storyline is quite predictable in that on most parts of the plot, it's a no brainer to know what is going to happen next. BUT... big BUT... I have to mention (and the only scene on the film that caught me off guard) the part where Mulgrath was defeated by (SPOILER!) none other than Hogsqueal??? It was one of the lamest ending for a kiddie fantasy flick that I've seen. So lame, that I think it was made just for the heck of having an ending. OK... Mulgarath (a shape-shifter) was tricked/predicted/coerced to transform into his signature avian-form and Hogsqueal (with his uncanny predilection to feed on birds) sacked and swallowed him outright. That's it. That's how your big bad guy died (along with the film's climax).

However, ending aside, the movie narrative is paced with a good dramatic flow. It set a different lighter tone from films of the same genre. Not as swashbuckling as Narnia. Not as dark as Potter. Not as brainless as Jumanji. And apparently, not as intense as the Lord of the Rings. Just the right fairytale story elements on a compact movie. It's a good family watch.

CG is great. Animation is cool. The portrayal of the fantastic creatures are well-thought of. Computer animated characters have delivered the right facial features and expressions. Thimbletack is cuddly and lovable, even at his deranged alter ego. Hogsqueal is a cool comedy relief character. Mulgarath and his goblin horde looks just right as the scary antagonists (although I've read reviews that said they were too scary for kids... psh!).

The flesh casts are so so. I find the kids Jared and Simon Grace (both Freddie Highmore) lacking in intensity. But that's just me. I haven't read the books so I can't really tell if their characters are really supposed to be boring or lackluster or lame. I salute the kid however for acting for two totally different character-type roles and give at least a mediocre justification for it. Mallory Grace (Sarah Bolger), the sister, and Helen Grace (Mary Parker), the mom, is on the average acting job too. Lucinda and Arthur Spiderwick (as if they needed much acting) plays their role well. But still, all in all, I'd rather see Mulgarath win an acting award for the film over all of them.

Conclusion: Although it will tickle the child inside most adult watchers, the movie's main market is kids around 4 years to 8. It's a delightful fantasy film created with them in mind.

Seven gulamans worth.

Ang mga Kasaysayan ni Spiderwick

This was sooooo late but I promised me-self I'll write commentaries for every film I'll watch in the cinemas. So...


The Spiderwick Chronicles
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!

The story revolves around the Grace family, who move away from the city to live on a ragtag countryside mansion owned by their grandaunt Lucinda. Early on the movie, strange things happen inside the house that eventually lead to the discovery of a coexisting fantastical "dimension" of goblins, sprites, and fairytale beings. All of which are detailed on a collection of journals written by their great-grand uncle Arthur Spiderwick. This same tome is being coveted by an evil ogre, Mulgarath, for it contains information that can give him powers unimaginable... wait... UNIMAGINABLE!!!

Yan.

Kiddie fantasy adventure plot follows which eventually leads to Mulgarath's defeat and Aunt Lucinda reunited with her lost father, Arthur. A stereotypical fairytale ending.

I have to admit I enjoyed the fantasy ride. The comic reliefs has been well-placed into the story when things get serious. The storyline is quite predictable in that on most parts of the plot, it's a no brainer to know what is going to happen next. BUT... big BUT... I have to mention (and the only scene on the film that caught me off guard) the part where Mulgrath was defeated by (SPOILER!) none other than Hogsqueal??? It was one of the lamest ending for a kiddie fantasy flick that I've seen. So lame, that I think it was made just for the heck of having an ending. OK... Mulgarath (a shape-shifter) was tricked/predicted/coerced to transform into his signature avian-form and Hogsqueal (with his uncanny predilection to feed on birds) sacked and swallowed him outright. That's it. That's how your big bad guy died (along with the film's climax).

However, ending aside, the movie narrative is paced with a good dramatic flow. It set a different lighter tone from films of the same genre. Not as swashbuckling as Narnia. Not as dark as Potter. Not as brainless as Jumanji. And apparently, not as intense as the Lord of the Rings. Just the right fairytale story elements on a compact movie. It's a good family watch.

CG is great. Animation is cool. The portrayal of the fantastic creatures are well-thought of. Computer animated characters have delivered the right facial features and expressions. Thimbletack is cuddly and lovable, even at his deranged alter ego. Hogsqueal is a cool comedy relief character. Mulgarath and his goblin horde looks just right as the scary antagonists (although I've read reviews that said they were too scary for kids... psh!).

The flesh casts are so so. I find the kids Jared and Simon Grace (both Freddie Highmore) lacking in intensity. But that's just me. I haven't read the books so I can't really tell if their characters are really supposed to be boring or lackluster or lame. I salute the kid however for acting for two totally different character-type roles and give at least a mediocre justification for it. Mallory Grace (Sarah Bolger), the sister, and Helen Grace (Mary Parker), the mom, is on the average acting job too. Lucinda and Arthur Spiderwick (as if they needed much acting) plays their role well. But still, all in all, I'd rather see Mulgarath win an acting award for the film over all of them.

Conclusion: Although it will tickle the child inside most adult watchers, the movie's main market is kids around 4 years to 8. It's a delightful fantasy film created with them in mind.

Seven gulamans worth.