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34
10,000 B.C.
55
Baby Mama
62
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36
College Road Trip
82
Dark Knight, The
31
Deception
41
Drillbit Taylor
57
Forbidden Kingdom, The
67
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
54
Get Smart
49
Hancock
34
Happening, The
57
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
78
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
71
Horton Hears a Who!
61
Incredible Hulk, The
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
79
Iron Man
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
35
Jumper
73
Kung Fu Panda
24
Love Guru, The
37
Made of Honor
51
Mamma Mia!
43
Meet Dave
58
Mist, The
48
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
55
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22
Postal
69
Redbelt
44
Ruins, The
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
76
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37
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36
Space Chimps
37
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50
Step Brothers
61
Stop Loss
47
Strangers, The
55
Street Kings
33
Superhero Movie
93
WALL-E
64
Wanted
36
What Happens in Vegas...
49
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
93
WALL-E
82
Dark Knight, The
79
Iron Man
78
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
76
Shine a Light
73
Kung Fu Panda
71
Horton Hears a Who!
69
Redbelt
67
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Wanted
62
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The
61
Stop Loss
61
Incredible Hulk, The
58
Mist, The
57
Forbidden Kingdom, The
57
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
55
Street Kings
55
Nim's Island
55
Baby Mama
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
54
Get Smart
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
51
Mamma Mia!
50
Step Brothers
49
Hancock
49
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
48
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
47
Strangers, The
44
Ruins, The
43
Meet Dave
41
Drillbit Taylor
37
Made of Honor
37
Shutter
37
Speed Racer
36
Space Chimps
36
College Road Trip
36
What Happens in Vegas...
35
Jumper
34
Happening, The
34
10,000 B.C.
33
Superhero Movie
31
Deception
24
Love Guru, The
22
Postal
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

83
Alexandra
67
Alice's House
65
American Teen
39
August
61
Baghead
80
Band's Visit, The
76
Beauty in Trouble
79
Before I Forget
47
Bella
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
60
Blind Mountain
72
Boy A
55
Bra Boys
61
Brick Lane
64
Brideshead Revisited
63
Bustin' Down the Door
xx
Canary
70
Caramel
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
83
Chop Shop
83
Chris & Don. A Love Story
78
Counterfeiters, The
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
75
Days and Clouds
48
Death Defying Acts
54
Diminished Capacity
47
Doorman, The
64
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
74
Duchess of Langeais, The
85
Edge of Heaven, The
28
Eight Miles High
54
Elsa & Fred
81
Encounters at the End of the World
62
Expired
64
Fall, The
59
Felon
51
Finding Amanda
57
Flawless
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
63
Foot Fist Way, The
60
Fugitive Pieces
72
Full Battle Rattle
47
Full Grown Men
31
Garden Party
55
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
69
Go-Getter, The
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
59
Gunnin for that #1 Spot
10
Harold
68
Heartbeat Detector
36
Holding Trevor
68
Honeydripper
55
Irina Palm
66
Jellyfish
58
Jihad for Love, A
61
Kabluey
62
Kiss the Bride
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
80
Last Mistress, The
38
Life Before Her Eyes, The
72
Lou Reed's Berlin
70
Love Songs
67
Mad Detective
66
Man Named Pearl, A
82
Man on Wire
64
Married Life
30
Meet Bill
33
Miss Conception
53
Mister Lonely
74
Mongol
52
Mother of Tears, The
52
My Blueberry Nights
71
My Brother Is an Only Child
84
My Winnipeg
44
No Regret
61
On the Rumba River
69
Operation Filmmaker
76
Order of Myths, The
61
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies
70
Outsourced
83
Paranoid Park
68
Praying with Lior
72
Priceless
51
Promotion, The
55
Quid Pro Quo
29
Red Roses and Petrol
79
Reprise
71
Roman de gare
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
56
Sangre de mi sangre
51
Savage Grace
76
Shotgun Stories
66
Son of Rambow
70
Standard Operating Procedure
57
Stone Angel, The
61
Stuck
72
Surfwise
25
Take
81
Tell No One
56
Then She Found Me
xx
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
71
To the Limit
54
Tracey Fragments, The
70
Transsiberian
71
Trumbo
71
Tuya's Marriage
xx
Two Tickets to Paradise
83
U2 3D
55
Unknown Woman
86
Up the Yangtze
59
Very British Gangster, A
79
Visitor, The
61
Wackness, The
37
War, Inc.
65
Water Lilies
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
55
Without the King
72
Woman on the Beach
64
XXY
67
Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The
75
Young@Heart
86
Up the Yangtze
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
85
Edge of Heaven, The
84
My Winnipeg
83
Chop Shop
83
Paranoid Park
83
Alexandra
83
Chris & Don. A Love Story
83
U2 3D
82
Man on Wire
81
Tell No One
81
Encounters at the End of the World
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
80
Band's Visit, The
80
Last Mistress, The
79
Reprise
79
Visitor, The
79
Before I Forget
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
78
Counterfeiters, The
76
Order of Myths, The
76
Shotgun Stories
76
Beauty in Trouble
75
Young@Heart
75
Days and Clouds
74
Mongol
74
Duchess of Langeais, The
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
72
Lou Reed's Berlin
72
Woman on the Beach
72
Boy A
72
Full Battle Rattle
72
Priceless
72
Surfwise
71
Tuya's Marriage
71
To the Limit
71
My Brother Is an Only Child
71
Trumbo
71
Roman de gare
70
Transsiberian
70
Standard Operating Procedure
70
Love Songs
70
Outsourced
70
Caramel
69
Go-Getter, The
69
Operation Filmmaker
68
Heartbeat Detector
68
Honeydripper
68
Praying with Lior
67
Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The
67
Alice's House
67
Mad Detective
66
Son of Rambow
66
Jellyfish
66
Man Named Pearl, A
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
65
American Teen
65
Water Lilies
64
Married Life
64
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
64
XXY
64
Fall, The
64
Brideshead Revisited
63
Bustin' Down the Door
63
Foot Fist Way, The
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
62
Expired
62
Kiss the Bride
61
Brick Lane
61
Stuck
61
Kabluey
61
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies
61
Baghead
61
On the Rumba River
61
Wackness, The
60
Fugitive Pieces
60
Blind Mountain
59
Gunnin for that #1 Spot
59
Very British Gangster, A
59
Felon
58
Jihad for Love, A
57
Flawless
57
Stone Angel, The
56
Then She Found Me
56
Sangre de mi sangre
55
Quid Pro Quo
55
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
55
Irina Palm
55
Unknown Woman
55
Bra Boys
55
Without the King
54
Diminished Capacity
54
Tracey Fragments, The
54
Elsa & Fred
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
53
Mister Lonely
52
Mother of Tears, The
52
My Blueberry Nights
51
Finding Amanda
51
Promotion, The
51
Savage Grace
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
48
Death Defying Acts
47
Doorman, The
47
Bella
47
Full Grown Men
44
No Regret
39
August
38
Life Before Her Eyes, The
37
War, Inc.
36
Holding Trevor
33
Miss Conception
31
Garden Party
30
Meet Bill
29
Red Roses and Petrol
28
Eight Miles High
25
Take
10
Harold
xx
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
xx
Two Tickets to Paradise
xx
Canary
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Spiderwick Chronicles, The
Paramount Pictures
 |
|
FILM:
MPAA RATING: PG for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements
Starring
Freddie Highmore,
Mary-Louise Parker,
Nick Nolte,
Joan Plowright,
David Strathairn,
Seth Rogen,
and
Martin Short
From the beloved best-selling series of books comes The Spiderwick Chronicles, a fantasy adventure for the child in all of us. Peculiar things start to happen the moment the Grace family (Jared, his twin brother Simon, his sister Mallory, and their mom) leaves New York and moves into the secluded old house owned by their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick. Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames Jared. When he, Simon, and Mallory investigate what's really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate, as well as the creatures that inhabit it. (Paramount Picture)
| GENRE(S): |
Adventure
|
Drama
|
Family/Kids
|
Fantasy
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
John Sayles
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Mark Waters
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: June 24, 2008
Theatrical: February 14, 2008
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
97 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
91
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Director Mark Waters does a fine job meshing the fantastical with the quotidian.

88
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
A well-crafted family thriller that is truly scary and doesn't wimp out.

75
Philadelphia Inquirer
Carrie Rickey
The film underscores the power of reading, and applying what we read to problem-solving. The story suggests that we don't really see the natural world around us, and if we did our lives, like Jared's and his siblings', would be immeasurably richer.

75
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
Not great fantasy, but it's on more solid ground than "The Golden Compass" and will seem less baffling to some. There's enough here to keep adults engaged, which is an important component of any motion picture that wants to be known as "family entertainment."

75
Chicago Tribune
Tasha Robinson
A fast-moving adventure with more than dynamic glitz to recommend it.

75
San Francisco Chronicle
David Wiegand
A mostly superb cast, superior special effects, a sparkling musical score and a fantasy-filled plot .

75
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
The movie is funny and scary and touching in all the ways the best children's pictures are, but it is also fast and compact, running a perfectly paced 93 minutes (including credits).

70
Time
Richard Corliss
A decent entertainment -- not up there with the "Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings" sagas, but a notch above "The Golden Compass" and "Narnia."

70
Chicago Reader
Andrea Gronvall
Meticulously rendered CGI creatures--from Arthur Rackham-esque flower sprites to a troll that could have sprung from "Jurassic Park"--spike this dark adventure, shot marvelously by Caleb Deschanel.

70
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
The children's real world, or what passes for real in a fantasy, could hardly be more inviting, for reasons that are hardly mysterious: the strong performances, under Mark Waters's accomplished direction; the smart, bright language, much of it taken from the books; the stylish cinematography, by Caleb Deschanel.

70
Village Voice
Ella Taylor
The movie's richly autumnal look is by swift turns cozily naturalistic and terrifyingly baroque, and director Mark Waters (Freaky Friday, Mean Girls) sustains the balance between real and surreal with mischievous brio.

70
The Hollywood Reporter
Michael Rechtshaffen
An enjoyable adventure fantasy that pushes all the requisite buttons while still managing to throw in a pleasant surprise or two.

70
Variety
Justin Chang
A work of both modest enchantment and enchanting modesty, grounded in a classically Spielbergian realm where childlike wonderment crosses paths with the tough realities of young adulthood.

70
Los Angeles Times
Carina Chocano
Suffers slightly from that not-so-fresh feeling.

67
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Spiderwick is set in the present, but goes for an overall design look of dainty, cozy, William Morris-y arts-andcraftiness.

67
Austin Chronicle
Steve Davis
Starts off promisingly by empathetically depicting the fear and anger children feel when their parents separate, but ultimately its human emotions are dominated by goblins, trolls, and other CGI-generated creatures running amok on the screen.

67
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Keith Phipps
Anyone looking for handsomely presented, kid-friendly thrills need look no further.

63
Premiere
Karl Rozemeyer
Perhaps Highmore could have tried a little harder to make us doubt for a moment that, once again, Good will inevitably overcome Evil.

63
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
It's a good movie for its type, but it rarely stops to let us marvel at the world it creates.

63
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
A world designed for children, and most of the grownups involved don't quite understand it - on or offscreen.

63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Liam Lacey
Unlike Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth," which was also inspired by Rackham, The Spiderwick Chronicles is more whimsical than scary.

63
USA Today
Claudia Puig
We're supposed to be agog at the fantastical creatures and dazzling special effects. But the more wrenching story of disillusioned children nags in the background, distracting from any enchantment.

60
Film Threat
Matthew Sorrento
Once “Spiderwick” gets to the fantasy, the story gets going.

60
Empire
Sam Toy
A late entry in a crowded field, Spiderwick works hard to set itself apart from the competition, and almost entirely succeeds - no mean feat these days.

58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Sean Axmaker
Maybe it's fantasy fatigue, but for all the pretty effects and breathless chases and goblin war battles, the sense of wonder and magic is lost in the shuffle.

50
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
The obvious product of a corporate search for the next great fantasy franchise, this adaptation of the first in a series of popular children's books by the writer-illustrator team of Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi is a lump of leaden whimsy.

50
New York Magazine
David Edelstein
Spiderwick. There’s nothing wrong with it that passion and personality couldn’t fix.

50
New York Post
Kyle Smith
Overrun with malicious goblins, a vengeance-minded pig, a fast-moving troll and a giant horned ogre, but the true source of terror is scarier than all of these combined: New York real estate prices.

50
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
For the uninitiated? Man, it's a bummer.

40
The New York Times
A.O. Scott
Instead of the kind of inspired imaginative synergy that distinguished the “Lord of the Rings” and later “Harry Potter” pictures, this movie, directed by Mark Waters (“Mean Girls”), feels more like a sloppy, secondhand pander.


The average user rating for this movie is 6.6 (out of 10) based on 32 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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