Balek's Movie Review™ - The Spiderwick Chronicles

Oh sweet redemption.  That will be the subtitle of this particular blog.  Why you'd ask?  Only because of the sheer crap of a movie my wife and I were subjected to on Valentine's Day (see previous blog).  However, today we celebrated my youngest son's 7th birthday by taking him and 10 of his friends to the movies.  Yes, I'm clinically insane.  As you would expect, this birthday activity has landed squarely in the "never again" category.  However, that said, I'll give you some impressions on the movie.

I was very surprised that the theater was not nearly as full as I would have expected.  I was expecting nearly a full house for a fairly significant family movie, on it's premier weekend, at the 1:30PM showing.  However, more than half the seats were empty.  Either way...no problem securing the majority of the best row in the house for the kids.

The movie tells the story of a family that moves into an old house, previously owned by a aunt that has been spending some time 'resting' in the local nut house after claiming her father was abducted by fairies.  Think Jumanji and you'll be right on target.  Immediately after arriving, one of the boys starts hearing shuffling around the house, movement in the walls, etc., which leads him to discover Spiderwick's Field Guide for Magical Creatures (or something along those lines).  Despite a prevalent warning, he opens the book and sets himself and his siblings on an adventure of a lifetime.  Goblins, Ogres, and other magical creatures abound, and lead for a fun romp through an original land of creatures beyond our own.

The story moved along at a good clip, and was well cast.  The visuals were well done, and the sound matched the movie.  Character development was solid, but a bit rushed because of the short duration of the flick (coming in at an hour and a half).  I can't say I felt quite as drawn into the characters as I was in e.g. The Chronicles of Narnia or Bridge to Terrabithia.  The good thing was it didn't detract too much from the movie, and I genuinely enjoyed seeing it.  Two thumbs up, and a movie I will likely pick up when it arrives on DVD.

Oh...and the other very good part of seeing the movie was the trailer for the next Indiana Jones movie, set to hit the big screen on May 23rd.  My birthday is the 26th, and I know exactly what I'll be doing for my night out that weekend.