Rating of
2.5/4
I enjoyed this one.
TheWolf - wrote on 08/03/07
If you liked Jumanji then you will probably find that you like this movie quite a bit. Both films share the same plot device; Children find a board game that transports them into the game. Cards are drawn that effect their fate and their surroundings. The only way to escape the perils of the game, is to play it through. Jumanji was a jungle game and Zathura is a space adventure.The movie is visually stunning. The discovery by the children, that their house has been transported to a location in outer space, hovering above a ring of meteors that encircle a large planet, is jaw dropping. The effects are real enough to imply danger, but logic is not a function of children's games, so it does not matter that oxygen, gravity and warmth still exist in the house, even as it is blasted apart by various forces.
Along the way the boys encounter a young astronaut played by Dax Shepard, who helps them out of perilous situations like battling engulfing black holes, and evading Fierce carnivorous lizards called Zorgons. Along the way the Astronaut teaches them lessons in brotherly cooperation, and even beguiles Lisa (their older sister) into sharing the adventure.
I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, and while it wasn't as big a hit as it could have been the movie was well made. Jon Favreau knows how to reach to his audience, and he does that expertly with Zathura.
