juliemedina

23 May 2012

thinly disguised lesson in brotherly love

After a long day of listening to my boys fighting, I decided we allneeded 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 surethat my daughter sat between the two boys so that they could not killeach other on the drive to the theater. Sure enough, the driveconsisted of them reaching across their sister's lap to pinch and pokeeach other. By the time we reached the theater, all I could think aboutwas how great it was going to be to quietly watch a movie for twohours… Little did I know that Zathura is a thinly disguised lesson inbrotherly love. Throughout the first half to two-thirds of the movie,the audience is subjected to fight after fight between the twobrothers, Danny (played by Jonah Bobo) and Walter (played by JoshHutcherson). The resemblance to my two sons is uncanny. I believe Ieven heard the same words and pitch on the screen that I had beensubjected to earlier in the day—this was certainly not the relaxingexperience I had hoped for when deciding to go to a movie. By the endof the movie, the brothers learn that in order to survive and returnhome, they must learn to work together. The final scene shows thebrothers playing ball together and acting like best friends—yeah right.Zathura, directed by Jon Favreau, is almost an exact replication ofJumanji, released in 1995. The only difference is the age and gender ofthe participants and the location of the adventure. In Zathura, Dannyand Walter decide to play a board game that Danny finds hidden underthe stairs. When Danny hits the button to begin the game, meteorsbombard the living room, the house breaks away from earth and floatsthrough space. If I hadn't seen Jumanji first, this would have been agood movie. But after seeing Jumanji, this was just way toopredictable.As sappy and nauseating as the hour-and-a-half long sermon aboutgetting along with your brother was for me to watch, it seemed to havethe desired effect on my sons. As we drove home, my nine-year-old sonfell 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 movedhim." I might have believed that response if his hand was notprotectively wrapped over his younger brothers shoulders. Even though Iknow that bonding will be short-lived, it is a moment that will go downin history for our family.

Travis_Moran

23 May 2012

Not original, but still nice!

by Travis & Annette...Well, we finally agreed on the rating for a movie...woo hoo!. We bothgive this one a 7.Most everyone will agree that this movie is almost an exact clone ofJumanji, except for the setting. This doesn't make it bad though.ANNETTE: Actually I enjoyed this movie just a small bit more thanJumanji. The kids were better actors is the main reason. My favouritecharacter had to be Danny. He was so cute and played his roleadmirably...a very believable 6-year-old boy.TRAVIS: Walter was my favourite. I've known some 10yo kids who actedalmost exactly like that. Walter was a very realistic character. Butboth boys were actually quite good. Generally I have issues with kidactors, but these are an exception. The other actors (other than theAstronaut) were relatively minor. And I really didn't care much for theAstronaut although his acting was fine.ANNETTE: The dialogue between the boys is much improved over Jumanji.It's very typical of what arguing young boys would say to each other.For instance, Walter bragging about his having a robot and Danny beingjealous of that fact. And I thought Walter's ending line to the effectof "so you like my eyes..." when his sister is leaving was perfect.TRAVIS: Strangely this movie reminded me of titles like "Romeo &Juliet" with DiCapprio or maybe "Titus" where it's the same story butset in a different era. In this case of course it's Jumanji set inspace. One cute thing that amused me was the deal with the bike. It'sin almost every scene...orbiting the house, bumped by the Zorgon ship,and then at the end falling just where Walter was standing.We both agree effects were mediocre to weak. But that didn't seem todetract from the movie. If you are an effects person it might be anissue.And we feel this movie is pretty much suitable for anyone to watch.Maybe parents with wee ones should note the very mild language. Thewords "biatch" & "you suck" are used. Otherwise it's clean.This is a pleasant little family movie with a decent story most kidscan relate to.

46yroldmale

20 May 2012

Someone get those kids to SHUT UP!

"Jumanji in space". That's the line on this little stinker. Don'tbelieve it. Much more like "Annoying Children in Space". If it ticklesyou to watch really annoying brats in odd situations then this is adream movie for you. As I watched the movie on CD I was souncomfortable that I figured it must have bombed like crazy in thetheaters, and that based on how much it must have cost to make I alsofigured the director never got a big budget movie to screw with again.I was right about the bomb! I was right about the budget! And...thedirector goes on to make mega budget, mega successful Iron Man. Only inHollywood. What ever success there is in the future for directorFavreau, this frustratingly annoying, whiny, nonsensical mess is anunfortunate stain on his resume.

d_4219

19 May 2012

Gakh... oh, some little spoilers

Well now, what should I say about "Zathura"... Well, the thing is ITSUCKED BIG TIME but if you want to waste a precious hour or two of yourlifetime, you're always welcome to watch it. The characters were onethe most annoying ones I've ever seen. That siblings feud was sooointeresting, especially if you love screaming brats. And what's withthe big sister? She'd better stayed frozen, that way she'd be moreuseful. Oh, that part with the cosmonaut turning out to be the oneswho've seen the movie know who/what - that part was so amazing, sosmart, so fitting... NO~T. The only hero I liked and that didn't get onmy nerves was the father... too bad he was in the movie just for 5about minutes :/ I can't find words to describe how terrible theacting, directing and plot were. That thing with the zorgons orwhatever that meant to be sooo~ scary was sooooo~ laughable... orlamentable. I couldn't believe my eyes that this movie was somewhat new- the effects and everything was like from 10-15 years ago. Do theystill make such crappy movies and sell them as "the newest and thefreshest" Bah P.S. If anyone's offended by my comment and likes stupid movies, Irecommend you to watch "Avalon" - the movie that made me able to watchany kind of crappy movie till the end, including this one Hope you'lllike it ^_^

16 May 2012

If Your Tired Of Jumanji Dont Watch It

Zathura is pretty good and it's a movie that will definitely keep most kids entertained thanks to the wacky characters and special effects. Its back-story is exactly like Van Allsburg's first book turned film Jumanji but the acting isn't as solid. So now you know it's just like Jumanji, so you know that two kids basically start to play a game and somehow someway they're thrown into the game and everything that the game says will happen actually happens. As a person who already saw Jumanji and I'm sure everyone in the world has too seeing as Jumanji's videotape stays in every classroom I've ever been in, I should only have to explain the quality of Zathura. These kids are a little too old for their own good, and they push the PG rating as far they can. Older brother Walter has one dirty mouth so if your child still has virgin ears you may want to watch out for that. Though this story is much like Jumanji Van Allsburg still does a nice job of delivering a different set of characters and ending with a moral that will have siblings hugging each other. The ending is very predictable but if a kid is watching he/she probably won't even notice because the explosive action and fat aliens will catch most of their attention. If you are watching a movie like this with your children you can always stretch a little fib at the end and say "see this will happen if you keep being mean to your brother". Zathura is not really trying to come across as a children's classic or an original work but it is a nice family movie though that PG rating is used to the fullest. Walter is funny when he says it but it's not really needed. I would suggest watching Zathura on Starz first since it's being played on there now, it will save you money.

16 May 2012

Making Jumanji Dull

Zarthura / B000DBHX4M*Spoilers*I like Jumanji. I like the book, I like the movie. The premise is daring and clever - that a board game could come to life, bringing right into your home the adventurous and dangerous elements to terrify and thrill you. I was excited to see that this concept had been expanded into a space-themed game, and figured that this movie would be a fun family ride. Somewhere along the way, however, the movie writers achieved what I would have thought was impossible: they made a thrill-ride like Jumanji...dull. Boring.Firstly, the first 20+ minutes of the movie should have been heavily edited and apparently weren't merely because they'd paid for Tony Robbins and were determined to use the footage. It does not take 20+ minutes to lay the basic, stereotypical movie set-up of a house shaken by a recent divorce and sibling rivalry. When the game does come roaring to life, we find that the space game is excessively tame compared to the horrors of Jumanji. For instance, each game has penalties for cheating. In Jumanji, the penalty is that Peter shockingly and frighteningly de-evolves into a monkey-like creature, hampered in communication and movement. In Zathura, the penalty is that the child is...ejected into space for a three-minute interval while the other players stare blankly at the hole in the ceiling and wonder if the child will come back. The viewer doesn't really worry about the boy coming back because he kind of HAS to for the movie to continue, and the sheer helpless horror we felt at seeing Peter de-evolve is just completely lost here.Several characters in the story have no real reason for being in this movie and should have been escorted off the premises. We've already noted that Tony Robbins should not be in this movie at all - why does he have 20 minutes of screen time to establish that his dad-character is super-patient, super-cool, and the divorce is totally not his fault? Condense the part, give it to a deserving no-name, and move on. Why is the sister here? Her only role appears to be as victim (frozen in cryo), designated panic person (upon revival), and to moon over the Hot Deus Ex Machina Spaceman who disturbingly turns out to be a grown-up version of her brother. Seriously, why was that included? They could have used a non-relative "babysitter" or something for that joke. The fact that the kids joke about it in the end (Remember when you had the hots for my future self?) is just...squick. The twists are predictable and boring, such as when the kids receive a mysterious "Reprogram" card to tuck away in the beginning. Gee, I predict a malfunctioning robot in the near future.Lastly, I love children but, having said that, I will also say that the two starring children in this movie are the best argument for birth control I've ever seen. The amount of time devoted to lavishly covering the start-to-finish family bickering in this movie was ridiculous. The youngest child in particular is unusually high-pitched and shrill and you will have an incredibly harsh head-ache after listening to him shriek, whine, and wheedle for over an hour of film time. Pass on Zathura, unless you just don't have enough tedious family arguments to fill your days.~ Ana Mardoll

11 May 2012

Definitely a great view!

This is an absolutely great film, and I cannot say enough how enjoyable it is. The acting skills of the two main protagonists (the two brothers) were great, and those two boys really made me believe they were brothers. Josh Hutcherson's acting skills were absolutely great, and if you are a fan of him, then you will not be disappointed by this film at all. If you liked Jumanji, then you will like this film, but the thing that sets this apart is the universal themes such as sibling rivalry and family problems. The cast of characters really worked well together, and the Dax Shephard character (the astronaut) had a big surprise towards the end of the film. The universal themes to which I had referred is what made me as the viewer get invested with the characters and develop a connection with them. While Tim Robbins had a cameo role in this film he really did a good job with providing a good setting for the family situation. One thing that I loved about this film was the combination of old fashioned special effects along with CGI. As a result, the film seemed realistic unlike CGI nightmares like the original "Hulk" film which made me get bored seeing how fake it was. After watching the special features and seeing how the film was made especially made me appreciate the hard work that all of the actors, most especially the two youngest ones, did in this film.The sister character was great, and though Kristen Stewarts time in this film was short she still was enjoyable. I suppose it is quality over quantity with regards to her appearance.To sum up, this film really made me look at things in my own life and see how the worst of times can either make or break us. The storyline and acting was great by everyone in this film, and this film is really deep and not empty fantasy movie.

10 May 2012

Zathura

This review is from: Zathura (Special Edition) (DVD) Zathura is a good movie. If you have seen Jermangie (please excuse the spelling) with Robin Williams, then it is the same type movie dealing with a board game and things really happening once game pieces are moved. The only difference is, this movie is set in space. I recommend it for both kids and adults.

09 May 2012

Jumanji was great this movie is horrible, How can anyone over 5 even say one good thing about this movie.

Jumanji starts with a sad lonely boy, a clueless father and a factory worker on the verge of greatness. All confused, thwarted and aching for redemption. The movie travels though time and adventure saving not only the initial characters but two orphaned kids from their orphaness. Real excitement, real adventure, real tears.This Zathura movie has no emotional connection, just overtly bratty kids, with cute kid shots disbursed ad nauseum throughout the movie. This movie brings nothing but emptiness. A frozen sister in hot pants underwear, a stupid young kid who supposedly is so smart but won't continue with a game that obviously will solve all the problems and then in the midst of all this banal nothingness a card is drawn that allows any wish to be granted; and the kid wishes for a football with Brett Favre autograph, are the writers of this screenplay medicated or just as stupid as the characters in this movie. How could this kid not just wish to be home, it makes less then no sense. Movies like this are not just bad but are symbolic of a culture that actually watches American Idol.If as an adult you actually like this movie then to you I give the lyrics of Pink Floyd:I cannot put my finger on it now.The child is grown, the dream is gone.I have become comfortably numb.

vip_ebriega

08 May 2012

Bolding going where no board game has gone before.

My Take: A fun ride, even if the JUMANJI-like elements are prettyfamiliar and the kids get a tad bit annoying. If you thought the whole concept of JUMANJI was good, take that filminto space, lessen the blah dramatic moments and pump up themild-mannered excitement and you get ZATHURA: A SPACE ADVENTURE.Actually slightly better than the adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg'sJUMANJI, ZATHURA is actually a terrific adaptation of Allsburg's otherchildren's book and terrifically satisfies as pure familyentertainment. Fast-paced and often clever, ZATHURA is puretake-your-whole-family-and-see-it entertainment that won't disappointwith the reputations before it.Josh Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo play two quarrelsome brothers Walter andDanny, who spend an afternoon alone together, which isn't exactly atreat. Walter is older, and likes MTV, The Sports Channel and beingboss, while Danny, the younger, just wanted to spend time with his bigbrother, who isn't exactly returning the favor. Everything changes(sort of) when Danny gets his hands on an old rusty board game he foundin the bowels of their basement. All they needed to do was turn thekey, read the small card with the message and hold on for dear life.Turns out, they've been transported into the outer universe offlesh-eating space lizards, a malfunctioned robot, supernovas, andmeteor showers. To get back home, they've got to play the game fromhead to toe, accepting every reward or consequence. Dax Shepard playsthe hilarious marooned astronaut who gives them a helping hand andKristen Stewart (PANIC ROOM) play the brothers' annoyed big sister.One thing you have to admire about ZATHURA is the energy and the senseof fun tapped into every frame by director Jon Favreau. Favreau keepseverything energetic and delightful, with special effects aplenty thatlooks as if it were imagined by an energetic 8 year-old. Tapping inmorality in the film, about brotherly love, is where the film gets itsflaws. Walter is too-tough big brother while Danny is a bit tooannoying. Trying to tell us that they shouldn't yell at each otherduring some scenes are trying to push morality too far off. Still, themovie has too many a good thing to overlook the few flaws. Besides, theyounger audiences wouldn't give a damn about them anyway. So just sitback, and turn that key.Rating: ***1/2 out of 5.

06 May 2012

If you liked Jumanji........

This review is from: Zathura (Special Edition) (DVD) If you liked Jumanji, then Zathura is a must-see! It is a well written and exciting story line that is fun for adults as well as children. My 7 year old and I enjoy watching it together all the time!

05 May 2012

Bleah

If you read the actual Zathura book, you quickly realize that it's probably Allsburg's weakest. Although the movie enhanced and expanded the story quite a bit, I was left disappointed. I turned to my wife a handful of times in the theater just wishing that the kids would stop shouting at each other and get on with the story. For crying out loud, I can come home from work at the wrong moment if I want to listen to kids yelling at each other. Yeah, they used some awful words too; but they were unlikeable characters for the most part because of their endless banter.The movie had an endless potential for good adventure: an entire universe. Yet, the story revolves around their little house the entire time, and the perils repeat themselves rather than introducing something unique.Don't see it thinking that it in some way relates to Jumanji, like it did in the book either. They don't resemble each other at all. Miss this movie.

05 May 2012

Great!

I rented this movie with my 4 grandkids--ages 4-11. They loved it. Lots of action that was able to keep even the youngest engaged to the very end.The words of the kids when it was over--sums it up well. "Bubbi, this is good enough to buy and add to our DVD collection"I agree and we now own it.

mstomaso

04 May 2012

Clever, Fun, Sci-fi for the Young at Heart

Zathura is a different spin on Chris Van Allsburg's Jumanji story.Rather than a jungle-oriented adventure, Zathura is a wild spacefantasy. It has the literary quality of a modern fable and evenexpresses a few nice moral points about families, patience, andresponsibility.Two little guys - Danny and Walt - are stuck home alone with theirdisinterested teenage sister. Walt, the younger, desperately wantsDanny to play with him, but Danny thinks his younger brother isannoying and ignores him. Exploring the basement, Walt finds a gorgeousold mechanical rocket ship race game called Zathura. On each turn, thegame spits out a card and whatever the card says, happens..... IN REALLIFE.Danny can't help but get drawn into the game, and eventually, the boysfigure out that the only way they are going to escape the Zorgons, gettheir sister out of cryogenic suspension, and get their house back toearth will be to finish the game. But at what cost? Zathura keeps up abrisk, entertaining pace, and is scripted intelligently enough toengage most young intellects. I especially enjoyed the fact that thekids each had their own personalities and were anything butstereotypes. Although the film is appropriate for all ages, there aresome concepts which might disturb or frighten young kids - so lookbefore you leap.Great script, very nicely directed and edited, and with a very clever,wild story. Most of the acting was very good - especially Jona Bobo andJosh Hutcherson (Danny and Walter). Dax Shepard occasionally ran intosome trouble, but did fine in one of the film's more challenging roles.Recommended for sci-fi adventure fans, and adventurous family viewing.

02 May 2012

Space Adventure or Therapy Session?

From the previews I thought "Zathura" would be a kid-friendly, funspace adventure. What I got was two foul mouthed kids and the feelingthat someone was trying to provide a cheap therapy session for adultswhose parents divorced when they were children. I think divorce isterrible and certainly at an alarming rate in this country, but thismovie is not marketed as that and the subject matter seemed to come wayout of left field.I deduced that this must be the intention of the production staffbecause the children in attendance at my showing didn't laugh or seemto enjoy the film at all. Adults were annoyed by all the screaming,yelling, bickering, and fighting that the three children in the filmengage in.

gyllenhaalic087

01 May 2012

The good, the bad, and a rip-off ?!?!

The best thing I can say is that parts of this movie were really goodand parts were really bad. The good: Some genuinely funny parts at thebeginning, like the meteor shower scene where Danny yells, "Grandma,"as an urn breaks on the fireplace, and when Walter states his maturityby saying, "I'm in fourth grade. I have a girlfriend." The bad:obviously anything to do with Dax Sheppard and the whole astronaut bit,especially the ridiculous circumstances regarding his disappearance.Overall, this is a movie for children, but has a couple of amusingmoments. Also, any connection with Jumanji is not evident in the leastbit. The similarities could have been played up for comedic effect, butwere left alone, leading the viewers to assume this is a Jumanjirip-off, and not a movie sequel derived from a book sequel (which itis).

DrunkenMasterIV

29 April 2012

Father And Son Bonding Movie

I grabbed this movie at the library, and really didn't know much aboutit before watching it. I remembered the movie being compared toJumanji, and figured it might be a good film to watch with mytwelve-year-old son. I would like to thank everyone responsible for making this movie forgiving me one of the most enjoyable movie watching experiences I'veever had!It turns out my son is at the perfect age to watch this movie. He and Iwere on the edge of our seats, and he had a smile on his face theentire time. This film will hold the attention of your "tweens" eventhose with the touch of ADD that is all too common in our video game,microwave meal society. I know I'm not saying much about what happens in the movie, and that'sbecause the movie needs to be seen to be appreciated. It is partscience fiction, part morality play with just the right amount of humorand a few twists and turns. The suspense level in some of the scenes isbreathtaking, and other than one relatively minor expletive early inthe film (nothing my son hasn't heard,) it's very family friendly.Zathura is a DVD I'll definitely be buying. My son actually thanked mefor getting this "awesome" DVD for us to watch. Dads (and Moms) putZthura on your "must see" list.

rixrex

29 April 2012

A grand fun time once you get past the characters flaws

I would have never bought this as a DVD for retail price, too manyothers available, but I was happy to find it on videotape for 99 centsat the 99 cents store, then I was excited when I learned that this wassort of a sequel to Jumanji.Well, the film delivered everything it said it would in regards to lotsof fun, great sci-fi action, neat effects, a moral ending, and is goodto watch for those reasons. It will be a pleasure to those of you wholike these kinds of things.However, it took a strenuous effort to get to like these snotty bratkids. They weren't even the typical Speilbergian know-it-all kids whoalso have good qualities, but these kids just didn't seem to have anyat all, until the end. The jerk sister remained a jerk throughout andwas never pleasant, she was a b**** all the way.The Dad as played by Tim Robbins is just what I'd figure Tim Robbinswould be as a Dad, a measly, weak-willed, emotional wreck, prone toflying off the handle, and no wonder he was divorced.Once you get to where you can ignore these dysfunctional family membersand think of them as plot fodder, you can go along for the ride.

BaronBl00d

28 April 2012

Beware of Dust-laden Games Hiding About Old Houses!

Yes, this is definitely a familiar film to me. It is basically Jumanjiiset in space rather than the jungle. No Robin Williams here either, butwe do have two siblings, fighting a lot about their lives, when onestarts playing a space game called Zathura and then the meteoritesstart to hit the fan. The house is catapulted into space, alien lizardsabound, and a robot malfunctions as just some of the various scenariosenacted by cards(just like in Jumanjii). Well, I liked Jumanjii morefor several reasons: Robin Williams, a better, more cohesive story,more humour, and, did I say, Robin Williams. Nonethless, Zathura is anentertaining picture in its own right. The two child leads, Jonah Boboand Josh Hutcherson, do serviceable jobs. Director Jon Favreau is veryable at creating some wonderfully shot scenes of the house in space.The special effects are dazzling(for CGI). Tim Robbins has a nice smallpart as Dad and Dax Sheperd gives a fine performance as the astronaut.Kristin Stweart as the teen sister is a waste, but the overall storyhas some nice points and a good theme about the difficulty that canexist between two brothers in a divorce situation. Zathura is not grandin any way, but it is definitely solid, entertaining diversion for theentire family.

27 April 2012

Zathura - an exceptional experience

This is a wonderful movie on many levels. Characters are well developed, the action is exciting and the underlying theme of forgiveness makes this a great movie for all ages. This movie is going on my most watched list.