Zathura (2005)

Enjoyable popcorn movie

Two brothers, Danny and Walter, discover a old-fashioned game in a forgotten corner of an old house's cellar. With nothing better to do, they start in on the board game's imaginary space adventure, only to discover that it's not imaginary at all. When a playing card says "meteor shower," a hail of burning stones pummels their living room. Also, you should see the new view from the house's front door ...

Each new turn in the game adds to the adventure, which is pretty much all the movie is about. Oh, a sibling rivalry gets resolved along the way, but that seems an afterthought, pasted on so the plot has some kind of beginning and ending. An overbearing older sister in a permanent snit figures in, too, but just barely - the game sidelines her early on, then brings her back when a girly bit of screaming seems appropriate.

I haven't read Van Allsburg's children's book, the one that this movie comes from, so I can't say anything about the adaptation. That aside, this movie offers good commodity entertainment. It's kid-friendly (as long as your kid isn't too skittish), with enough action to keep a grown-up from falling asleep. If it never rises above the "rainy afternoon" category, that's fine. Rainy afternoons need movies too, so pop the popcorn and enjoy.

-- wiredweird December 10, 2008

A Zorgon guide to house remodelling

Although a little derivative Zathura is lifted above this shortcoming by a witty script and creative production design. Kids will love it and adults will find it charming. There's a moral here too, needless to say, but it doesn't intrude into the entertainment and the movie is never allowed to become too mawkish. The effects are top-notch, the young cast acquit themselves well, and Favreau's direction is nicely balanced. All in all Zathura is a couple of hours of fun that everyone with a healthy sense of adventure will enjoy. December 7, 2008

happy

I am so happy this dvd was in great condition. It was a preplayed/pre-viewed DVD from Blockbuster, but that is okay I always buy preplayed/pre-viewed, and the price was great. I brought the same movie from a pawn shop cause i could not find it but it turned out to be $5 more and did not work anyway and I could not return it. Then I checked on amazon and there it was and cheaper!!! I am very pleased. My kids love this movie. Thank you. December 1, 2008

Zathura

An excellent movie,(No Robin Williams is not in it). Watch it for what it is by itself. My Family and I have enjoyed watching this movie and all of our friends like to borrow it.
Worth the money, Worth the Watch. November 17, 2008

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. July 22, 2008

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