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The Spiderwick Chronicles (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

9K views 20 replies 13 participants last post by  ilovenola2 
#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

89






Studio and Year: Paramount - 2008
MPAA Rating: PG
Feature running time: 101 Minutes
Genre: Adventure/Family/Sci-fi

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: MPEG-4 (AVC)
Video Aspect: 2.35:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese,
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, David Strathairn, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Martin Short, Joan Plowright
Directed by: Mark Waters
Music by: James Horner
Written by: Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, John Sayles
Region Code: Not indicated

Blu-ray Disc release Date: June 24, 2008







"Warning! Do not read this book.."



Film Synopsis:


From the beloved, best-selling series of books comes an extraordinary fantasy adventure, revealing the unseen world that exists all around us. From the moment the Grace family moves into a secluded old house peculiar things start to happen. Unable to explain the accidents and strange disappearances, the Grace children, Jared, Simon and Mallory start to investigate and find the unbelievable truth of the Spiderwick Estate and the amazing creatures that inhabit it.




My Take:


I have to admit that I am a sucker for adventure films like The Spiderwick Chronicles. Goblins, Ogres, Dragons, Mythical Creatures etc. bring it on, the more the merrier. They are not all created equal and some are definitely better than others. Spiderwick had its moments but falls a bit short when compared to other films in its genre. I felt that the background on Arthur Spiderwick was sketchy and could have benefited the story with a bit more on him and the development of the field guide. I liked the development of the characters played by Freddie Highmore and Sarah Bolger. Freddie Highmore's Jared was better than his Simon as the latter seemed less genuine and robotic. It was clear from the beginning that the kids were going to be the focal point in the story. This didn't leave much room for the very talented remainder of the cast (Strathairn, Parker, Plowright) to show off their abilities. Having them onboard certainly lends stability and credibility to the cast. Seeing actors with backgrounds like Nick Nolte and Andrew McCarthy with tiny cameos in a film like this was kind of sad but such is life in Hollywood. There were some fun moments involving Hogsqueal and Thimbletack who were voiced by Seth Rogan and Martin Short. I enjoyed the action sequences which featured some great visual effects work by Industrial Light & Magic. When all was said and done I found The Spiderwick Chronicles to be entertaining but a bit shallow in story development.





Parental Guide:


The rating is for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements. This one might be a little strong for little ones.





AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


Audio: 88


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:





Video: 90


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:


The Spiderwick Chronicles comes to Blu-ray Disc from Paramount featuring 1080p AVC encoded video with an average bitrate of 32 mbps and lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel audio with an average bitrate of 3.3 mbps.

This video presentation met my expectations for a newly released film within this genre. Detail was abundant with clearly defined lines and sharp resolution. I was able to clearly discern fibers in the clothing, hair and skin of the cast members (check out the fine white hair on actress Joan Plowright's face). The same was true of object detail as I could make out the characteristic structure of items in both interior and exterior shots regardless of their placement within the frame. Colors were vivid and vibrant with slightly exaggerated hues that I found pleasing at times and distracting at others. Black levels were not as deep as I would have liked but I didn't feel that negatively effected image depth in dark scenes. The dark and shadow filled sequences shot in the underground tunnel and attic looked great with plenty of visible detail. Contrast levels appeared elevated which made the bright outdoor shots look punchy but a little artificial. Any negatives mentioned here are minor in nature. Overall I was very pleased with quality of this video offering.

The audio presentation kept pace with the video and sounded excellent. From a deep bass perspective this mix is fairly aggressive. Pretty much any scenes involving the antagonistic Ogre Mulgarath will deliver enough low end impact so that your subwoofer will feel appreciated. The chase sequence in the underground tunnel will put the entire system to use as there is a flurry of discrete surround sound which emanates from various points round the soundstage. James Horner's sweeping score is brought to life with beautifully articulated presence and crystal clear precision. I found that dialogue was rendered with clarity and tonal distinction but was not as pronounced within the sound field as I would have liked. At times I felt that the soundtrack as a whole was mixed too low. To compensate I simply boosted the volume a bit. I would not classify this as reference quality material but it comes pretty close.



Bonus Features:




The bonus features presented on this Blu-ray Disc are fairly comprehensive and offer an inside look at the making of The Spiderwick Chronicles. It also offers some background on the story and includes interviews with real life people who have interesting experiences to share regarding the world of Arthur Spiderwick. There is a plethora of behind the scenes content including cast/crew interviews, background on the sets, casting, post production work and ILM. The Field Guide highlights in detail the creatures and magic associated with those featured in the film as well as others. The remainder consists of a pop up in-movie field guide option, Deleted scenes, Nickelodeon TV Spots (SD), two trailers and closing remarks by the Director. There is surely enough information here to keep interested fans entertained. I am happy to see the bulk of it offered in high definition.


  • (HD) Spiderwick: Its all true Featurette

  • (HD)It's a Spiderwick world Featurette

  • (HD)Arthur Spiderwic's Field Guide

  • Field Guide in-movie mode

  • (HD) Spiderwick: Meet the clan Featurette

  • (HD)Making Spiderwick Featurette

  • (HD)The Magic of Spiderwick Featurette

  • (HD)A final word of advice: Closing remarks by Director Mark Waters

  • (HD) 4 Deleted scenes

  • 9 Nickelodeon TV Spots

  • 2 Theatrical Trailers





Final Thoughts:




The Spiderwick Chronicles is an entertaining family adventure film that lacks the ingredients necessary to place it in the classic category along with similar films in its genre. I liked it enough that it will remain in my collection. Fans of the film will be happy with this disc from a technical perspective as well as with its extensive bonus materials. It is being released day and date on high definition Blu-ray Disc and DVD. Paramount continues to display their commitment to high definition Blu-ray Disc with top quality audio/video presentations and full featured bonus supplements.













Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





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Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen

Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)

Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Marantz DV7001 Universal Disc Player

Denon AVR 5308CI THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor

Outlaw Audio Model 7700 seven channel amplifier

B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 seven Channel amplifier

Canton "Ergo" Series speakers

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SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)

APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector

Wireworld, VizionWare, Audioquest, Best Deal Cables - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling

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17
#2 ·
Looks like Paramount has gone back to AVC, or at least still will use it.
 
#4 ·
Nice review Ralph. Quite different from the so-so review posted in blu-ray.com. Can't wait for some retailer to drop the price to less than $20.
 
#5 ·
Thnx for the great review, Ralph. I enjoy good movies of this genre and will be adding this to my collection after reading your comments.
 
#10 ·
There is a problem with the running time. I got it and on the cover it says it's 101 mins but the actual movie on the disc is 96 mins. There seems to be two versions available according to IMDB and we don't get the unrated here. So what's the story? Mislabeled cover and unreleased unrated version?
 
#11 ·
I thought technically the movie was good, but in terms of the story it was just awful what they did. Spiderwick Chronicles spans 5 books, and they compressed them all into 1 movie by basically cutting 2 of the books out entirely. They also took out the real camraderie between the kids that exists in the book and made the one twin just plain evil.
 
#12 ·
Nice review Ralph! I watched this yesterday and I agree with your ratings...

I think that in terms of sound it could of been better, but is not the BD itself and has to do more with a sound design...
 
#13 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gonzalc3 /forum/post/14187407


Nice review Ralph! I watched this yesterday and I agree with your ratings...

I think that in terms of sound it could of been better, but is not the BD itself and has to do more with a sound design...

Greetings,


Thanks for sharing your impressions Chris !



Regards,
 
#14 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph Potts /forum/post/14188492


Greetings,


Thanks for sharing your impressions Chris !



Regards,

Hi Ralph,


There is no need to acknowledge to every "thank you message" from us.
 
#21 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Dav /forum/post/14196237


And nobody cares about the running time? It says 101 on the cover!

I saw the film in the theatres. I have the gorgeous Blu Ray disc. I haven't pulled out a stopwatch yet, but I have enjoyed the hell out of seeing it in both venues.


Maybe you are the only one who cares.



Relax and enjoy the film. I doubt we're missing any decapitations here!
 
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