I took my 5th grade daughter + 2 classsmates to the movie, all of us have read at least the first couple of books in the series. We really enjoyed it! Other reviewers seem to be irritated that it does not follow the book exactly.. however, you must remember that movies flow differently from books and allowances must be made to keep up the pace. Some characters are not included, but there is certainly room to introduce them in sequels (which we hope to see!). The special effects are outstanding. Younger kids might find the monsters too realistic, better to wait for the rental if you have little ones. As an adult, I found this movie much more interesting than certain OTHER juvenile-based series of late.