'The Spiderwick Chronicles' (PG)(out of four)

While it doesn't quite have the breadth of "Harry Potter," there is something magical nonetheless about "The Spiderwick Chronicles." It's the latest in a wonderful string of big-screen children's book series adaptations that, with a finely blended mix of character, story and visual effects, easily rivals another literary monolith, "The Chronicles of Narnia."

Based on the five-book series by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" stars Freddie Highmore as decidedly different twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, who along with their no-nonsense sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and recently separated mother (Mary-Louise Parker), move from New York City to the country confines of the Spiderwick estate -- the home of their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn). Jared, who would rather be with his father (Andrew McCarthy, in a very spare role), wants no part of the move.

But his mindset changes suddenly when some strange happenings in the dilapidated house grab his attention. Hearing what he believes is a scurrying creature in the walls, Jared, Simon and Mallory accidentally discover a concealed dumbwaiter, which leads to the discovery of a secret room. In it lives a rodent-sized creature named Thimbletack (voice of Martin Short), who was charged 80 years before to protect a book, "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You," from being opened.

Thimblebtack is outsmarted by Jared, however, as Jared cracks open the sealed book, unleashing a world populated by fantastical creatures, including mysterious fairies and sprites and a friendly hobgoblin named Hogsqueal (Seth Rogen). Invisible to the human eye, the creatures can only be viewed through a seeing stone or a spat of saliva in the eyes from Hogsqueal. And Jared gets just that, only to realize that dangerous goblins led by the evil ogre Mulgrath (Nick Nolte) are on the hunt for the book -- putting Jared and his family's lives in jeopardy.

Thanks to solid performances by Strathairn, Parker and Bolger and most important , the believability of Highmore - who proves why he's arguably the best teen actor out there today with his dual performances - "The Spiderwick Chronicles" proves why all great films start with a great story.

While at its heart it's a fantasy film, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" scores it highest points for tapping into the real emotions of a family dealing with personal conflict. And that heartache even extends beyond the Grace family. Left behind as a child when Arthur mysteriously disappeared, his now 86-year-old daughter (Joan Plowright) lives in a sanitarium -- left questioning herself whether the creatures that she's been seeing for decades are real or not.

While the characters and creatures in "The Spiderwick Chronicles" are unique to the story, the theme of the film is not. In a way, it's very similar to the narrative of "The Lord of the Rings" and other tried-and-true "good vs. evil" films, as an innocent comes into possession of something very powerful -- in this case it's a book instead of a ring -- and a monstrous being seeks to seize it for his own evil intentions.

The similarities hardly take away from the effect of "The Spiderwick Chronicles," however. At a brisk 90-minute run time, the film layers within its richly detailed story some very intense action sequences, which brings into question the film's PG rating. The goblins that are after the Grace family are pretty frightening, and Mulgrath, who doesn't rear his full, ugly head until later in the film, is one scary dude. Oddly enough, Nolte, who appears as Mulgrath in human form early in the film, is just as frightening, but more in a creepy, subtle way.

While the film's atmosphere is part dark and part fantastical, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" could probably be best categorized as a "strong PG," with kids ages 8 to 10 being the right cut-off. And while kids ages 6 or 7 may be able to handle the intensity, depending on their prior viewing habits and whether they've had the books read to them to know what's coming, it's definitely not a film for the toddler set.

On the flip side, the wonderful thing about "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is that it's a film that adults can become equally engrossed in.

And while fans of the books will inevitably notice missing passages in the adaptation, not lost in the least is a story that can still bring out the child in all of us. It's smart stuff that director Mark Waters and scribes Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum and John Sayles refuse to dumb down in any sort of way. It's classic storytelling, for the lack of better words, done by the book.