PopSyndicate.com

Based on the best selling children’s series, Spiderwick Chronicles is a fantastical adventure of immense proportions.

A family of four moves out to a house in the country. They are Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parker), mother, her daughter Mallory (Sara Bolger) and twin sons Jared and Simon (both played by the talented Freddy Highmore).  Jared, who loathes the family’s new situation, opens up a book he finds hidden in the house’s attic – Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You – and a whole new world opens up around him. It is a world of beauty, and ultimately, danger.

As the whole family gets drawn into the world of fantasy, the stakes get high and it is only through exploring their family’s past that they figure out how to save them all, and the supernatural world.

The movie has beautiful special effects, and the fantasy creatures are gorgeous to behold. The action moves well, the plot is engrossing, and by the end, the audience is completely caught up in the story. It feels like a fairy tale but plays out like an adventure, and is all the stronger for it.

This two-disc DVD set comes with an amazing group of bonus features. On the first, with the movie, is the featurette “Spiderwick: It’s all True!”. An introduction to the world of Spiderwick, it keeps up the very Lemony-Snickett like ruse that everything is real. Parents are going to be pissed if kids do what the featurette tells them to, however. “It’s a Spiderwick World” takes us into the making of the film, and behind the scenes with authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. “Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide” is exactly what it says – an interactive guide to the creatures in the Spiderwick world.

“Spiderwick: Meet the Clan” talks about the Grace family cast. For the most part, it seems like a chance for everyone to talk about how incredible Freddy Highmore is – and he is. Known mostly for Charlie and the Chocolate Facotry and his unforgettable part in Finding Neverland, Freddy plays both twins with different personalities and American accents. Sarah Bolger, from Ireland, also shows off her extraordinary acting skills. Between the two of them, they ruin the adage about children and animals.

“Making Spiderwick” takes us inside the creation of the world, and the process of bringing a book to life through sets. “The Magic of Spiderwick” is an exploration of the visual effects. “A Final Word of Advice” ties all the featurettes together, a good closed parenthesis to “Spiderwick: It’s All True!” There is a collection of deleted scenes, as well as Nickelodeon tv spots for the film.

The best feature, by far, is the Field Guide movie function. It pops up bits from from the field guide during the movie itself, giving the movie more depth and dimension.

Beautiful packaging, fantastic extras - Spiderwick is an amazing DVD set.

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