I found "The Spiderwick Cronicles" rather boring. The acting was poor, the storyline could have been great but was done in a run of the mill sort of way, the effects were awful, and the whole thing fell flat.
The last battle was very anticlimatic. One of those scenes where you're watching and then...AND then...AND THEN...you realise it's over. "That's it?" You ask yourself.
Besides all that, it's really not even a good movie for kids. It's a little intense for the youngest children and anyone older will be bored to tears.
Final Statement: I saw this movie during AMC's Summer Movie Camp and am glad that it only cost a dollar.