Danny (Jonah Bobo) and Walter (Josh Hutcherson) are two brothers who never can seem to be at peace with each other. Left alone one afternoon in the house with their older sister (Kristen Stewart) while their father (Tim Robbins in a small role) goes to a meeting, Danny hits Walter with a baseball on the head and a mad chase ensues. This leads to Danny stumbling upon Zathura - a magical game board set in space just as Jumanji was set in the jungle.
Based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg ("Jumanji", "The Polar Express"), "Zathura" is obviously aimed more towards the younger members of the audience. After all, the entire film is about a board game. But with director Jon Favreau having a good hand at telling the story and some nice help from the special effects department, the viewer is effectively thrust into a child's imagination.
While by no means a great film, "Zathura" is still enjoyable despite running for almost two hours as it is fast-paced, and the two boys in the lead characters are good. Bobo does well as Danny, while Hutcherson (who previously appeared as the lovestruck 10-year old in "Little Manhattan") is good as Walter. What's more is that both actors act with such maturity and chemistry with each other that further strengthen their roles.
Although I could have done without much of the first part of the movie that attempts to put a footnote on the ongoing rivalry between the two brothers, once the game starts the film moves at a fast pace with the ominous meteor shower commencing the proceedings and a sequence with the carnivorous Zorgons capping it. The film though does slow down again going into the end to inject some message.
Overall this is a worthy entry to the genre. While it may not have been the best film to have come out of Allsburg's imagination, it certainly does a good enough job of translating it.
Based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg ("Jumanji", "The Polar Express"), "Zathura" is obviously aimed more towards the younger members of the audience. After all, the entire film is about a board game. But with director Jon Favreau having a good hand at telling the story and some nice help from the special effects department, the viewer is effectively thrust into a child's imagination.
While by no means a great film, "Zathura" is still enjoyable despite running for almost two hours as it is fast-paced, and the two boys in the lead characters are good. Bobo does well as Danny, while Hutcherson (who previously appeared as the lovestruck 10-year old in "Little Manhattan") is good as Walter. What's more is that both actors act with such maturity and chemistry with each other that further strengthen their roles.
Although I could have done without much of the first part of the movie that attempts to put a footnote on the ongoing rivalry between the two brothers, once the game starts the film moves at a fast pace with the ominous meteor shower commencing the proceedings and a sequence with the carnivorous Zorgons capping it. The film though does slow down again going into the end to inject some message.
Overall this is a worthy entry to the genre. While it may not have been the best film to have come out of Allsburg's imagination, it certainly does a good enough job of translating it.