Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Spiderwick Chronicles, The (2008)

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Topic: Spiderwick Chronicles, The (2008)

David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 02-17-2008 07:13 PM

Early matinee today at Regal 15 in Eugene, #2, in 35mm. Looked *really* good, very high-quality print (at least by current standards). Sounded good too. Show started rough: wrong lens, masking changed twice, maybe it was moved from another house. One of the trailers played with no audio at all, not sure what was up with that. The feature looked and sounded great though.

I liked it a lot. Good story, beautifully photographed (by Caleb Deschanel ASC), special effects very well done (mostly ILM). Score by James Horner, and the music over the end credits reminded me a lot of the end-credit music he did for "Cocoon". Didn't much like Mary-Louise Parker as the mom though. Nick Nolte didn't have to get made up for his character. [Eek!]

A solid 3.5 out of 5.

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Mike Schindler
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1039
From: Oak Park, IL, USA
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 02-17-2008 08:09 PM

James Horner is really good at using the same music over and over again. I've never seen COCOON, but I thought parts sounded a lot like STAR TREK III. In fact, listening to the music and knowing his reputation, I correctly guessed halfway through that it was Horner who wrote the music.

I didn't like the rest of the movie much either. The problem with all of these fantasy movies is that it takes so much time to explain the rules of the mythology that by the time they actually get to the story, I've stopped caring.

However, I will say that the protagonists' solution to the final conflict was really funny, and almost made up for the rest of the movie.

But not quite.

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Thomas Pitt
Master Film Handler

Posts: 266
From: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: May 2007

posted 03-23-2008 04:37 PM

I went into this movie worried that it would be another 'Terabithia' - i.e. only 10% fantasy and the rest real-world drama. But I was wrong; it was mostly fantasy!

The left surround channel wasn't working, but other than that the presentation was flawless - good focus and framing, very little bob/weave, and the subwoofer channel shook the seats at certain points [Wink]

The CG creatures were much better than ones I've seen in other fantasy films, though the story was a little weak. It seemed to rush from one scene to another, but that's always the case when a long book is condensed down for a film. And thankfully, none of that shaky-cam effect a lot of other movies seem to be using at the moment!

3 out of 5 for me.

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Stu Jamieson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 524
From: Buccan, Qld, Australia
Registered: Jan 2008

posted 04-05-2008 08:21 PM

The latest in a long string of kiddie fantasy flicks (including Terabithia, Golden Compass, Eragon, Narnia etc), The Spiderwick Chronicles's central plot revolves around a hidden cabal of forest-dwelling beasties who are awoken by the foolhardy reading of an aged manuscript and subsequently launch an offensive on the keeper of the said document. Yep, with a plot scarily reminiscent of Sam Raimi's seminal horror flick, this is The Evil Dead for kids, and true to form the film is quite scary for the children it's aimed at (the little girl sitting next to me spent the film on her father's lap). This is not necessarily a bad thing though, after all kids like being scared too, but parents of especially timid children ought to be warned.

What follows is a cliché-ridden, logically flawed film which only a child (with limited cinematic experience) can believe. The movie is replete with a creepy house with secret passages and hidden rooms, a distant "crazy" relative who turns out to be a paranormal expert, damaged children resulting from parental separation who inevitably muster the inner strength to become heroes, there's even a rooftop chase sequence. But all this is largely forgivable given its intended audience and besides the film possesses enough fun to engage adults through to its end, if only to witness the highly amusing and innovative means by which the bad guy is inevitably deposed.

If you can accept its mythology on face value despite how silly it is, then there's fun to be had here and it's timeless metaphor for the personal price of obsession and the reckless and egoistic pursuit of science makes it a worthy viewing for kids.

7.5 out of 10.

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Damien Taylor
Master Film Handler

Posts: 493
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2007

posted 04-18-2008 08:55 PM

Did anyone else get the trailer for this printed really badly off centre? I kept fiddling with the aperture plate but it was no use.

Really easy to watch movie, great score, albeit extremely familiar as Mike pointed out. Don't know if it was too long for the really young kids people brought there.

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