Spiderwick Chronicles, The

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"There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
It's not so very, very far away;
You pass the gardner's shed and you just keep straight ahead--
I do so hope they've really come to stay...."
--Rose Fyleman (1877-1957)

If you're hoping to sell a best-selling children's series of fantasy books, it helps to have "Chronicles" in the title, along with the word "Spider" to conjure up images of all sorts of nasty, hairy, multi-legged creatures. That's what Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi probably figured when they began their best-selling book series, "The Spiderwick Chronicles," and it worked out pretty well.

Of course, "The Spiderwick" tales are more exciting and adventurous than anything dear, sweet Ms. Fyleman ever wrote all those many years ago, but the Black-DiTerlizzi books probably took some inspiration there. The "Spiderwick" stories are imaginative fun, derivative, to be sure, but amusing and entertaining and just a little bit scary by turns, at least for kids. Fortunately, the new high-definition transfer should please viewers of any age, since both the Blu-ray picture and sound are as good as most people could want.

The only minor fly in the ointment is that in terms of story and characters, the 2008 "Spiderwick Chronicles" movie is not quite as magical for grown-ups as it might be. Unlike "Stardust" and "The Lord of the Rings," for instance, which were fantasies for adults that children could enjoy, or "Enchanted" and "The Chronicles of Narnia," which were fantasies for children that adults could enjoy, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is more or less geared for children, period. Not that oldsters can't enjoy it, too, especially for its high-def sights and sounds; they just might not find the story and characters quite as sophisticated as they'd like.

Given that the authors and filmmakers aimed "The Spiderwick Chronicles" mainly at children, it isn't so important that it be entirely original. The fact is, the movie hasn't an original bone in its body, which is neither here nor there insofar as it might concern kids. Unless they've grown up on a steady diet of fantasy, most of what goes on in "Spiderwick" will seem new and fresh. Or it will seem only vaguely like stories they've read or seen before.

Here's the familiar setup: a mother, deciding to start life over after her husband leaves her, takes her young twin sons and teen-aged daughter to live in a big, old, spooky-looking house in the country (a house that intentionally reminds one of the Addams family mansion). The house used to belong to the children's great, great uncle, Arthur Spiderwick, who disappeared mysteriously some eighty years before. According to Spiderwick's daughter, sylphs came and carried him off to a mysterious land, perhaps the Kingdom of Fairie, to protect him. Not surprisingly, the authorities carted the daughter off to a sanitorium, where she's been residing ever since.

Not more than a few minutes after being in the house, one of the twins discovers noises in the walls, along with personal items going missing. After that, he finds his uncle's old journal, "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You," and begins reading it. There, he discovers that his uncle learned how to view and contact the unseen creatures of the woods--the sprites, goblins, hobgoblins, ogres, trolls, fairies, boggarts, griffins, sylphs, and other such beings. Worse, he learns that the king of the goblins is out to get the "Field Guide" because learning its secrets will enable him to rule the world!

It isn't long before the whole family become involved up to their eyebrows in conflict with the mystical entities.

The family are the Graces, and they are the stereotypes you'd expect in such a story. The mother, Helen (Mary-Louise Parker), is edgy and upset at her husband leaving her. She just wants to get as far away from him as possible, even though the children want them to get back together. Naturally, she refuses to believe anything the kids tell her about goblins and such and comes off as a typically uncaring adult who refuses to listen to her kids. Young audiences will empathize.

The twins, Simon and Jared (Freddie Highmore of "Finding Neverland" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" playing both roles) are opposites of one another. Simon is sweet and gentle and distant and intellectual. He says he's a pacificist, and he's the darling of the family. Jared is angry, outgoing, and always getting into trouble. When things start disappearing, he's the one the others blame. He's also the main character in the story, and we can see where this is going. Highmore does a good job portraying the contrary personalities.

The teenage daughter, Mallory (Sarah Bolger), is several years older than the twins and won't let them forget it. She's a know-it-all, above childish things, and wants as little to do with her brothers as possible. She also studies fencing, which comes in handy as the story progresses.

The father, Richard (Andrew McCarthy), we hardly ever see, but the children refer to him often. OK, you can see where this is heading, too. A monumental strife must bring the family together, since as we all know from our own moviegoing experiences, it is only by working together on huge problems that characters come to know and love each other. And so it goes.

Several other big-name actors fill out supporting roles. David Strathairn plays the eccentric Arthur Spiderwick, partly in flashback, partly in the Kingdom of Fairie. He's always fun to be with but seems slightly ill at ease in the role. Nick Nolte plays Mulgarath, the ogre who rules the Goblin Kingdom, and, frankly, we don't see enough of him. Martin Short and Seth Rogen voice the CGI creatures Thimbletack and Hogsqueal, names right out of the J.K. Rowling handbook of giddy appellations.

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