There were a couple of movies I really wanted to see this weekend, and surprisingly, one of them was Zathura. While the trailers were intriguing, the early buzz about the film was even better. Obviously aimed at a very youthful market the kind of thing I don't typically care for, frequented by audiences I care even less for my one concession was to go to a very late night showing in the hopes there would be few if any small children in the theatre. The movie (and, frankly, the showtime) turned out to be a good choice.
In the opening scenes of Zathura, we meet Danny (Jonah Bobo) and Walter (Josh Hutcherson), two brothers who can't not even for a few minutes get along. The pair fight incessantly, and vie non-stop for the attention of their harried father (Tim Robbins). Even when Dad tries to intervene, Walter can't hide his contempt for his little brother, and Danny can't stop antagonizing him.
It's a Saturday afternoon, and although their father doesn't want to work, he's got no choice but to go to his office for a brief while. Knowing better than to leave the boys to their own devices, he leaves them in the charge of their teen-aged sister, Lisa (Kristen Stewart). Lisa, of course, would just as soon sleep as so much as acknowledge her younger brothers' presence.
While Lisa naps, yet another fight erupts. With Walter's limited patience well over its limit, Danny knows he'd better hide! Alone in the basement, he sees a colorful box hidden under the stairs. In large and inviting letters, the box says "Zathura." Forgetting how angry Walter probably still is, Danny grabs the box and runs off to show his brother. In the hopes that Walter might play with him, Danny opens the game and takes the first turn. A card pops out of a slot in the game. "Meteor shower," the card says. "Take evasive action." Walter reluctantly helps Danny read the card. No sooner has he done so than a meteor shower begins. In their living room. And with all of the accompanying destruction you might expect from such an event. Taking evasive action seems like good advice, and so the boys hide in the fireplace until the storm is over. It's then that they discover something even more astounding: their house is floating in space around some unnamed ringed planet. And the only way they can get back home is to keep playing Zathura until somebody wins.
Jonah Bobo is good; Josh Hutcherson is even better. It's a good thing that's the case because the two largely carry this movie on their small shoulders alone! Tim Robbins is there at the beginning and again at the end; Kristen Stewart contributes ably now and then. But Zathura almost exclusively focuses on the boys and their struggle to get along and to get back home. At one point, the pair are aided in their quest by the mysterious rescued astronaut (Dax Shepard) who proves an excellent foil for the melodramatic kids, but his role, too, is secondary to that of the boys.
Director Jon Favreau probably remains better known in front of the camera than behind it (he's played various supporting roles in a number of films), but don't be fooled: this is the man with the wonderful Elf on his directing résumé. With Zathura, he's taken an entirely different twist on the fantasy genre, but again, he's done it very well. The special effects are good; the sets are excellent. The script is deceptively simple while conveying warmth, humor, and the very real relationship between two brothers.
Yes, Zathura is complete and unrealistic fantasy. No, it doesn't obey even the most rudimentary of the laws of physics. As science fiction goes, it's all fiction and no science. But you know, in the middle of a Zorgon attack or a lost astronaut rescue, it doesn't really matter. Whatever its lack of realism, Zathura is fun and exciting to watch. I don't necessarily go to the movies to learn something. I go to be entertained. And watching Zathura, I most thoroughly was.
FAMILY SUITABILITY: Zathura is rated PG for "fantasy action and peril, and some language." Although I don't really see much of a problem with the language, I do believe that some of the peril is going to prove too much for little ones. I found myself getting nervous a few times, and for a movie as implausible as Zathura is, that's saying something! As a whole, I'd say Zathura would be great for kids about age 7 or 8 and up. And if you go with them, I strongly suspect you won't regret having bought a ticket for yourself.
In the opening scenes of Zathura, we meet Danny (Jonah Bobo) and Walter (Josh Hutcherson), two brothers who can't not even for a few minutes get along. The pair fight incessantly, and vie non-stop for the attention of their harried father (Tim Robbins). Even when Dad tries to intervene, Walter can't hide his contempt for his little brother, and Danny can't stop antagonizing him.
It's a Saturday afternoon, and although their father doesn't want to work, he's got no choice but to go to his office for a brief while. Knowing better than to leave the boys to their own devices, he leaves them in the charge of their teen-aged sister, Lisa (Kristen Stewart). Lisa, of course, would just as soon sleep as so much as acknowledge her younger brothers' presence.
While Lisa naps, yet another fight erupts. With Walter's limited patience well over its limit, Danny knows he'd better hide! Alone in the basement, he sees a colorful box hidden under the stairs. In large and inviting letters, the box says "Zathura." Forgetting how angry Walter probably still is, Danny grabs the box and runs off to show his brother. In the hopes that Walter might play with him, Danny opens the game and takes the first turn. A card pops out of a slot in the game. "Meteor shower," the card says. "Take evasive action." Walter reluctantly helps Danny read the card. No sooner has he done so than a meteor shower begins. In their living room. And with all of the accompanying destruction you might expect from such an event. Taking evasive action seems like good advice, and so the boys hide in the fireplace until the storm is over. It's then that they discover something even more astounding: their house is floating in space around some unnamed ringed planet. And the only way they can get back home is to keep playing Zathura until somebody wins.
Jonah Bobo is good; Josh Hutcherson is even better. It's a good thing that's the case because the two largely carry this movie on their small shoulders alone! Tim Robbins is there at the beginning and again at the end; Kristen Stewart contributes ably now and then. But Zathura almost exclusively focuses on the boys and their struggle to get along and to get back home. At one point, the pair are aided in their quest by the mysterious rescued astronaut (Dax Shepard) who proves an excellent foil for the melodramatic kids, but his role, too, is secondary to that of the boys.
Director Jon Favreau probably remains better known in front of the camera than behind it (he's played various supporting roles in a number of films), but don't be fooled: this is the man with the wonderful Elf on his directing résumé. With Zathura, he's taken an entirely different twist on the fantasy genre, but again, he's done it very well. The special effects are good; the sets are excellent. The script is deceptively simple while conveying warmth, humor, and the very real relationship between two brothers.
Yes, Zathura is complete and unrealistic fantasy. No, it doesn't obey even the most rudimentary of the laws of physics. As science fiction goes, it's all fiction and no science. But you know, in the middle of a Zorgon attack or a lost astronaut rescue, it doesn't really matter. Whatever its lack of realism, Zathura is fun and exciting to watch. I don't necessarily go to the movies to learn something. I go to be entertained. And watching Zathura, I most thoroughly was.
FAMILY SUITABILITY: Zathura is rated PG for "fantasy action and peril, and some language." Although I don't really see much of a problem with the language, I do believe that some of the peril is going to prove too much for little ones. I found myself getting nervous a few times, and for a movie as implausible as Zathura is, that's saying something! As a whole, I'd say Zathura would be great for kids about age 7 or 8 and up. And if you go with them, I strongly suspect you won't regret having bought a ticket for yourself.