The Spiderwick Chronicles - the film

It’s a rare film that actually improves on the books that inspired it. But the film version of The Spiderwick Chronicles is more frightening, faster paced and emotionally charged than its predecessors – as well as being a welcome antidote to some unhelpful myths about divorce.

The Spiderwick Chronicles tell the tale of the Grace children – Mallory, Jared and Simon – who move with their mother Helen from New York’s urban sprawl to a dilapidated mansion in the country under the cloud of a family break-up. While mum seeks to restore some sort of stability to their shaken lives, first Jared and then his brother and sister are introduced to a fantasy world of goblins and fairies as they turn the pages of their Great Uncle Arthur Spiderwick’s mysterious ‘field manual’. “There are fantastical creatures amongst us,” Arthur’s book reads. “Lift the veil and you will never see the world the same way again.”

For those interested in delving deeper into the origins of the film, I suggest clicking over to the review I’ve done of the books. This article is going to consider the cinematic version, beginning with its differences. Where the books were decidedly pre-teen in character, this Nickelodeon / Paramount co-production is much more mature. From the opening scene of Uncle Arthur writing in terror as he composes his guide, we’re led into a world that is full of ancient and mysterious lore – honey calms Brownies; tomato sauce kills goblins etc. – that will have the same enchanting effect as the Harry Potter series. The other-worldliness will be fascinating for young minds and likely to result in the avid collection of the predictable spin-off products that will accompany its release.

However other aspects of the story have been tamed. The Spiderwick Mansion, for one thing, is a lot less run down than in the book – presumably the producers thought the childish appeal of the film might have been tarnished by collapsing floorboards and mould. It’s also a lot easier for the characters to solve the mysteries the mansion presents, but this may be a consequence of the time the movie has available. That however, brings us on to the human and near-human elements…

Probably the biggest change to the characters of the film occurs with Jared. The tween misfit who is the cause of so much anxiety to his mother in the print edition is mostly just worrying in the film. Neither Nickelodeon or Paramount, it seems, were prepared to make a hero out of a boy who is expelled once for hitting another boy and a second time for bringing a knife to school. It’s a pity really, because it tones down the damage divorce can realistically do to children. Filmic Jared’s acting out never goes further than a few tantrums and a couple of holes in the wall. 

On the non-human side of things, the film-makers have done away with the complexity inherent in the Grace family’s hobgoblin ally Hogsqeal. He’s no longer conflicted about helping the humans; the only tension he suffers is between his desire to battle the forces of evil and his compulsion to eat birds. More significantly, scriptwriter John Sayles has eliminated all of the characters that were more noble or intelligent than human beings. In the books, the reader had the distinct impression that he or she had stumbled into a world where being human was no real advantage. With the wisdom of the elves replaced by the more ethereal ‘silf’, the balance tips once again in our favour.

Mary-Louise Parker does an excellent job reprising her dysfunctional mother role from the television series Weeds, presenting us with a credible picture of Helen Grace. But Freddie Highmore provides the stand-out performance as both Jared and his twin brother Simon. His take on a child in denial over the personal crisis that has embroiled his family is poignant. “Why are you unpacking?” Jared asks Simon as he begins to settle into the creaking mansion. “Dad’s coming back tomorrow and he’s going to take us home with him.”

For all the strange creatures and spells that populate The Spiderwick Chronicles it remains a story about a family at war with itself over a divorce that has left each member deeply wounded. “This is our new life,” says Helen, breaking up a fight in the kitchen on the first night. “Let’s not fall into old ruts.” However, father Richard’s refusal to be honest about the reasons for the family’s break-up prevent the new start she is hoping for. “I’ll see you soon though – definitely,” Dad tells a hopeful Jared on the telephone – but refuses to attach any date. It’s no wonder that in seeking an explanation for the obvious lack of love shown, that Jared turns on the only parent present. “You wouldn’t listen and that is why dad left,” Jared yells at his mother. “I hate you and I don’t want to live with you.” But the truth, when it comes, is far more miserable and mundane. “He’s not coming, is he?” Jared asks his older sister Mallory in a quiet moment. “He’s with someone else,” she tells him. “He’s moved in with her. He’s not coming back.”

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a big screen parable about the pain families suffer because of fathers who leave their children. The secretive Arthur Spiderwick, the author of the mysterious ‘field guide’, left his own daughter Lucy to pursue his valuable work; Richard Grace left them to fulfil himself and his love for another woman. The motivations will seem sound to many, but at least here the consequences are clearly spelled out. This is one film that does not indulge in the ‘happy ever after’ myth.

The other helpful addition The Spiderwick Chronicles adds to the modern picture of divorce is the damage dishonesty causes even amongst those left behind. Much of Jared’s pain arises from his mother’s misguided decision not to explain why their father is no longer living with them. “I guess I should have just told you the truth,” she confesses to her son. Realistically and metaphorically, Jared’s life was not improved by living in a fantasy world. Some knowledge is dangerous and hurtful, whether it be in the pages of a magical field manual or the heart of a family. But at least by the end of the film the Graces can build upon the healing they find because it is based on facts – however unpalatable – not stories that have to be unlearned at some later date. 

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