"The Spiderwick Chronicles" is an adaptation of a fantasy series of books compiled into one film, which of course is going to make fans of the books really mad.  Hence, bad reviews.  Since I had not read the books, I looked at this film as a children's book adaptation and nothing more.  While I found some of the story rather formulated in traditional Hollywood style, I also thought the acting was great , the creatures and effects outstanding, and the Blu-Ray version exceptional as eye candy. 

Paramount has done a great job on this HD disc; sharp and colorful 1080p picture which is gorgeous in certain scenes.  The creature work is some of the best CGI I have seen yet and is totally believable. Sound is equally impressive Dolby TrueHD and at times has quite a dynamic range. Parents take note: Although rated PG, some of the creature scenes are a bit too intense for younger children. 

Extras included are mostly in HD (cheers to Paramount) and consist of deleted scenes, featurettes about the stories, the effects, and making the film, and a special enhanced version of Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide, exclusive to the Blu-Ray release.  

While some of the story of "Spiderwick Chronicles" is predictable, I found enough originality to make this a recommended purchase.  While too intense for younger children, the strory moves fast enough and the creatures are top notch along with the rest of the picture and sound.  The extras in HD are a real bonus.