Zathura: A Space Adventure

A very beautiful and wonderful movie. I saw this when I was very young. I liked it a lot, but I didn't know the name. Now I have this movie. Nice movie.☺️

My son (age 10) liked Jumanji and is an avid reader. When he learned "Zathura" would be the next Van Allsburg book to come to the screen, he made me promise we'd see it. We nearly missed our chance (it was at the second-run theater) but I am glad we made it. "Zathura" was excellent- we were riveted the entire time and my son THEN made me promise we'd buy the DVD when it was released! Since one of the main characters was a 10-year old boy like him, naturally I knew he'd like it. But I really liked it too and thought that every actor's performance was exactly right. Not cutesy in that "movie kid" kind of way, but very real. I flinched at some of the older brother's dialogue- it was so mean and angry toward the little brother. But that's how it is!! Kids are so mean. This movie did not shy away from it (OK, that set up the ending, but still). Even the teen sister was great. Tim Robbins, as the harried dad (little screen time) was spot-on. Families of divorce have a whole separate set of behavioral rules to learn and live by, and this movie nailed it. Thumbs-up from all of us!

After a long day of listening to my boys fighting, I decided we all needed to get out of the house and see a movie. I corralled my husband, my daughter and both of my sons into the car. I painstakingly made sure that my daughter sat between the two boys so that they could not kill each other on the drive to the theater. Sure enough, the drive consisted of them reaching across their sister's lap to pinch and poke each other. By the time we reached the theater, all I could think about was how great it was going to be to quietly watch a movie for two hours Little did I know that Zathura is a thinly disguised lesson in brotherly love. Throughout the first half to two-thirds of the movie, the audience is subjected to fight after fight between the two brothers, Danny (played by Jonah Bobo) and Walter (played by Josh Hutcherson). The resemblance to my two sons is uncanny. I believe I even heard the same words and pitch on the screen that I had been subjected to earlier in the day—this was certainly not the relaxing experience I had hoped for when deciding to go to a movie. By the end of the movie, the brothers learn that in order to survive and return home, they must learn to work together. The final scene shows the brothers playing ball together and acting like best friends—yeah right. Zathura, directed by Jon Favreau, is almost an exact replication of Jumanji, released in 1995. The only difference is the age and gender of the participants and the location of the adventure. In Zathura, Danny and Walter decide to play a board game that Danny finds hidden under the stairs. When Danny hits the button to begin the game, meteors bombard the living room, the house breaks away from earth and floats through space. If I hadn't seen Jumanji first, this would have been a good movie. But after seeing Jumanji, this was just way too predictable. As sappy and nauseating as the hour-and-a-half long sermon about getting along with your brother was for me to watch, it seemed to have the desired effect on my sons. As we drove home, my nine-year-old son fell asleep with his head on his older brother's lap. My older son's response as he shrugged his shoulders for emphasis was, "He was hurting me with his head digging into my shoulder so I moved him." I might have believed that response if his hand was not protectively wrapped over his younger brothers shoulders. Even though I know that bonding will be short-lived, it is a moment that will go down in history for our family.

Usually I don't write opinions, but after reading the first one IMDb offered (which gave the movie an amazing 10 out of 10) I had to say something. To sum it up : an almost complete copy of jumanji (minus the actors, turns or acting) with out any introduction or real plot which in the end made me glad it was over. Besides the special effects (which today don't mean as much as they did in terms of dedicated work) the movie is as hollow as possible. The idea of a game that takes two children in outer space is very well played (NOT !!!) by the amazingly 4 (beginer ?) actors. The conflicts are very poorly described and the reactions exaggerated and hilarious (in a bad way). So to sum it up, you get a lot more if you go and rent / buy 'Jumanji' - you'll change losing one hour and a half for a great movie. PS Considering the amazing high score it has until now, this movie is either heavily promoted by the staff (meaning they directly voted here :D) or children really recognize themselves in the two parodies of main characters, which may be a lot worse.

This is a very straight forward flick with great action sequences and great chemistry with the actors. Though some parts might be a little scary for some kid's the movie is never violent and no one ever get's hurt. There's a good dose of fun and it's engaging for adults also. Zathura is a rare film in that it's demographic isn't global in scope. I'm not sure how it would go over with young girls but I saw it with my brother and his kids (my nephew's) and we all were entertained. The special effects are not over the top and are well done. The pace is predictable but the scenes are not. Great movie for anyone with a good theater system. Fun movie for both kids and adults.

Probably one of the best family movies I've ever seen. Lots of good clean fun, maybe a little bit scary for the youngest viewers, but not too scary for school age (I think). I intend to recommend it to my sister for her kids. I'm a big fan of Chris Van Allsburg's books. I enjoyed Polar Express a lot, but I loved Zathura. Definitely the best movie from his books to date. Almost as interesting as the movie itself was the making of the movie information from the DVD. I thought Josh was adorable, particularly how much he loved his stunts. I heartily recommend this movie. I watched it on a loan, now it's on my wish-list. Definitely a keeper for me!

It's not often a "kids movie" will keep me entertained right through by Zathura did just that. The actors are excellent, there are plot twists, and it's just good old fashioned fun as well. I was pleasantly surprised when watching this movie and at the end I wished it had been longer. Jonah Bobo and Josh Hutcherson work extremely well together as the two lead characters and with special effects that are realistic (as realistic as a fantasy film can get anyway) the end result is an excellent movie for all ages. Jumanji was good but Zathura is great and I can highly recommend it to everybody. Take your kids to see it, take your parents to see it - take everyone to see it.

If you're watching this show looking for science fiction, don't bother. This is a story in the grand old Buck Rogers vein. It's for KIDS. i never watched the show as a critical adult trying to find flaws in it or worrying about suspension-of-belief. i watched it as i used to when i was a kid, going to a Saturday afternoon matinée. Excited, thrilled at being in the theater... popcorn and pop in hand. Fidgeting in the seat until the lights dimmed. Then the anticipation... ready to enter into the story. i wasn't disappointed. The movie captured my imagination from start to finish. My advice; this is for kids only. If you're a grown-up, leave your adulthood at the door. If you enter into it as a kid you'll experience the wonder, the suspense, the thrills, the chills. This movie will stay with me forever.

From the previews I thought "Zathura" would be a kid-friendly, fun space adventure. What I got was two foul mouthed kids and the feeling that someone was trying to provide a cheap therapy session for adults whose parents divorced when they were children. I think divorce is terrible and certainly at an alarming rate in this country, but this movie is not marketed as that and the subject matter seemed to come way out of left field. I deduced that this must be the intention of the production staff because the children in attendance at my showing didn't laugh or seem to enjoy the film at all. Adults were annoyed by all the screaming, yelling, bickering, and fighting that the three children in the film engage in.