The Spiderwick Chronicles
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: February 14, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Director Mark Waters does a fine job meshing the fantastical with the quotidian. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A well-crafted family thriller that is truly scary and doesn't wimp out. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames 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." Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneTasha Robinson
A fast-moving adventure with more than dynamic glitz to recommend it. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid Wiegand
A mostly superb cast, superior special effects, a sparkling musical score and a fantasy-filled plot . Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie 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. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene 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). Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
An enjoyable adventure fantasy that pushes all the requisite buttons while still managing to throw in a pleasant surprise or two. Read full review
70
VarietyJustin 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. Read full review
70
Village VoiceElla 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. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Suffers slightly from that not-so-fresh feeling. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea 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. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe 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. Read full review
70
TimeRichard 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." Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Spiderwick is set in the present, but goes for an overall design look of dainty, cozy, William Morris-y arts-andcraftiness. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Anyone looking for handsomely presented, kid-friendly thrills need look no further. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleSteve 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. Read full review
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. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia 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. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
A world designed for children, and most of the grownups involved don't quite understand it - on or offscreen. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
It's a good movie for its type, but it rarely stops to let us marvel at the world it creates. Read full review
63
PremiereKarl Rozemeyer
Perhaps Highmore could have tried a little harder to make us doubt for a moment that, once again, Good will inevitably overcome Evil. Read full review
60
Film ThreatMatthew Sorrento
Once “Spiderwick” gets to the fantasy, the story gets going. Read full review
60
EmpireSam 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. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean 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. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
Spiderwick. There’s nothing wrong with it that passion and personality couldn’t fix. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland 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. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle 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. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
For the uninitiated? Man, it's a bummer. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.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. Read full review
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