| Critics Reviews |
Average Grade: |
B- |
|
| Source |
Brief Review |
Grade* |
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." more... |
B- |
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert |
"...a terrific entertainment for the whole family, except those below a certain age, who are likely to be scared out of their wits." more... |
A- |
Chicago Tribune
Matt Pais |
"...the freaky, fishy toad beasts will scare and surprise adults expecting the same old hokey kids stuff." more... |
B |
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum |
"To be honest, the magical population is kind of dull..." more... |
B- |
filmcritic.com
Bill Gibron |
"...underwhelming..." more... |
C |
Hollywood Reporter
Michael Rechtshaffen |
"This otherworldly creature feature conjures up some of that winning Boy Wizard magic." more... |
B+ |
Los Angeles Times
Carina Chocano |
"Director Mark Waters goes easy on the pixie dust and ratchets up the action in an effort to keep the fantasy fresh." more... |
C+ |
New York Post
Kyle Smith |
"The characters lack shadings..." more... |
C |
New York Times
A. O. Scott |
"Instead of the kind of inspired imaginative synergy that distinguished the Lord of the Rings, The Spiderwick Chronicles feels more like a sloppy, secondhand pander." more... |
C |
ReelViews
James Berardinelli |
"There's enough here to keep adults engaged..." more... |
B |
San Francisco Chronicle
David Wiegand |
"The film is graced with a mostly superb cast, superior special effects, a sparkling musical score..." more... |
B |
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." more... |
C+ |
USA Today
Claudia Puig |
"Spiderwick can entertain and engage, and the cinematography by Caleb Deschanel is stunning, but fantasy and reality fail to coexist comfortably." more... |
C+ |
In Theaters 
