DVD Review: The spiderwick chronicles

Cast: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte and Joan Plowright
Although another interesting offering in the fantasy genre, The Spiderwick Chronicles works more for its technical wizardry than the story.

The film follows the story of twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory. The children and their mother have moved to a mansion whose former owner, Arthur Spiderwick, disappeared in mysterious circumstances. He was supposedly carried away by fairy-like creatures. One day Jared discovers the secret workroom of Arthur Spiderwick and finds a field guide written by the man. The book tells of a magical world where fairies and other sprites battle ogres and goblins. Unfortunately, that piece of literature is also sought by the villain Mulgarath, leader of the ogre.

Although it does not quite match up to the Harry Potter, Narnia or the Lord of the Rings series, there's more than enough computer generated imagery (CGI) in this movie. The CGI world is blended well into the real-world environments. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, which makes for good viewing on your home theatre system.

The DVD has some special features including deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes action. There are interviews with the authors of the book and a section on the characters in the film. The technical viewer will be treated to how the CGI was created.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a fun film, but fails to create a bond with the audience the way Harry Potter did. It, however, is an honest creation and good value for money.