Spiderwick Chronicles

I went to see "The Spiderwick Chronicles" today with Jazzmin. It's a fantasy movie for kids which came from a popular book. The basis of the story is this boy's great great uncle discovered all the secrets of this other realm of fairies, goblins and the like and chronicled it's secrets in this book. The great great uncle got taken away by some fairies (or other) and leaves the book behind. His daughter spent her whole life in that house until they finally sent her to the funny farm at age 86. She was sent there because they thought she was crazy for believing in this other realm. That's when the boy and his family end up moving into her house and discovering all the secrets.

It really was a great story about the kids navigating the magical world and how to keep the chronicle from the 'bad guy'. At the very end the great aunt's (daughter of great great uncle) dad shows up (who hasn't seen her dad in 80 years). The fairies allowed him to come back for a moment since the book was safe again but he had to go back to where he was 'trapped' all these years. If he tried to enter present time he would turn to dust. After being caught up in the movie you feel happy for the 86 year old woman who finally gets to see her dad, whom she hasn't seen since she was 6. She asks her dad a favor and to take her with him this time - so he does. When he takes her hand she transforms back into a 6 year old and goes off with her dad.

At the very moment the 86 year old women's dad showed up I started to get emotional. At first because of the story and thought it was great she got to see her dad after all this time. And then it suddenly hit me that I wish I could see my dad again. If I hadn't been in a public place I prodably would've cried my 'eyes out' right then and there. As it was I had to do my best to hold back the tears. The whole way home was just a constant effort to not start balling. Thankfully, Jazzmin knows how to deal with me when I'm upset and just left me alone. She didn't say one word - this from a girl who chats on endlessly in a normal set of circumstances. I had to hold my scarf over my eyes most of the way home to try and stop from crying. Halfway through the trip home I had to really go the bathroom - so I was able to focus on that instead of thinking about being upset.

Well, anyway, it was a really good movie. Perhaps not as good as the book - as know it alls are prone to say. But you can only fit but so much in the time frame allotted for a movie. Jazzmin and I really enjoyed it and found it to be one of the few movies worth the price of admition instead of waiting for it to come out on DVD.