Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Studios are taking advantage of the success of the Harry Potter franchise and jumping in with both feet on any young adult adventure they can find that may or may not be the next big thing. Nickelodeon has gone a different route with Spiderwick though. For those unfamiliar with the books they are actually a collection of novellas for the most part. Instead of doing each episode individually the film encompasses the entire series in one film. Sure they glaze over some side stories and details but overall it has worked really well. The production values of this piece are exceptional, especially the effects work from ILM. The film moves at a brisk pace and the storyline doesn't tone down so much that adults won’t have a good time with it. All things considered I thought it was one of the better family adventure films of late.

Paramount has really been impressing since they've started supporting Blu-ray again. All of the newer films have looked great in HD and this is definitely no exception. The natural photography is rich in color, detail and depth and the high bit rate encode delivers all with no sign of compression issues or banding. I did notice some slight softening from time to time but this mainly seemed like a byproduct of the special effects. Some of the long shots incorporating digital effects didn't have the razor sharp look that live photography displayed. Contrast levels are solid and add a lot to the depth of the image and close ups display incredible fine object detail. Despite a few production limitations, this is one great looking disc.

Paramount continues its full support of lossless audio and delivers a solid Dolby TrueHD mix for this release. Like most fantasy films there is plenty of opportunity for inventive sound design here and the filmmakers didn't disappoint. The soundstage is very open and natural with great side wall imaging. Ambiance is subtle at times but the surrounds do a pretty good job of conveying environment and atmosphere. Bass response is quite deep at times but slightly reserved. I don't think they wanted the track to be too intense for the younger audience. Dialogue sounds very natural in tone and balance and blends well with the rest of the mix.

The supplements did a great job of rounding out this package. Most are in HD and all are themed to the film itself. There is even a picture-in-picture field guide that was an inventive way of putting you into the film. Some other features include a look at the production, cast interviews, a look at the special effects and deleted scenes. Overall a nicely themed package.

While it wasn't my favorite family film of the last year, The Spiderwick Chronicles was still fun and a nice addition to the genre. Paramount has done a great job with the A/V presentation and provided some great extras for fans of the books and film. Definitely recommended!