'Spiderwick' lacks luster

You’ve seen it all before. A child discovers a secret world, has trouble convincing anyone it exists and saves it from some disaster. No, it’s not the new “Narnia” sequel; it’s “The Spiderwick Chronicles.”
Freddie Highmore plays the role of twin boys Jared and Simon in this ho-hum adaptation of Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black’s children’s book series. The children, along with their sister and mother, have moved to the Spiderwick estate after the parent’s recent divorce. In the midst of childhood angst over his family situation, Jared finds a field guide to the world of faeries. However, doing so alerts the evil ogre Mulgarath (voiced by Nick Nolte) to the book’s location. If he gets the book, he will conquer the world, and the children must stop him.
A film for the 12-and-under crowd, this movie lacks anything to entertain an older audience, keeping me vaguely interested but far from riveted. Its familiar plot and characters make it drag at times, and it suffers from an incredibly predictable story. Highmore’s performance is adequate, and his American accent is only serviceable 90 percent of the time.
The real stars of this film, however, are the supporting voice actors. Martin Short plays an amusing little faerie called Thimbletack, who turns into a boggart when he gets mad and tags along on the children’s adventures. Seth Rogen plays Hogsqueal, a roguish pig-like goblin who cavorts around, spitting in the characters’ faces. These two are bright flashes of entertainment in an otherwise mediocre movie.
Watching “The Spiderwick Chronicles” is like listening to stories people tell at parties: It’s interesting, but you don’t really care. It’s nice to see Highmore in a movie where he has parents (unlike “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “August Rush” and other orphan pics), but that’s probably the only original thought this movie provided.
In the end, the best parts of this film are the trailers for “Speed Racer” and the fourth “Indiana Jones” before it starts.