Rated PG for fantasy action and peril, and some language.
113 Minutes

Directed By: Jon Favreau
Written By: David Koepp
Staring: Jonah Bobo, Walter Hutcherson, Dax Shepard, Kristin Stewart, Frank Oz, and Tim Robbins

Zorgons are the lizardmen. They eat meat and we are MEAT! -Danny

Synopsis

Two young brothers are drawn into an intergalactic adventure when their house is magically hurtled through space because of the board game they are playing.

Review

Zathura may initially irritate you for the first twenty minutes or so, but give it a chance to catch it’s bearings.  The character’s were so incredibly unlikable it made it difficult to invest any feelings in what happens next.  Jon Favreau has been successful as a director, so the potential for it to redeem itself was always there, and for the most part it did.

Taking a cue from the world of Jumanji, another game is discovered that essentially sucks you into it combining reality and some other dimension of magical existence.  The concept alone is too fun to ignore for a second try, different game, and new characters.  Two young brothers and an older sister, who are suffering the tension of a recent divorce between their parents play the game, only to discover it’s far too real for play.  When they discover they’ve transported to space and the only way home is to finish the game, the real excitement begins.

There are a spare few character’s in this film and it becomes increasingly difficult to like any of them.  The oldest son is so blatantly hateful of his younger brother it goes beyond aggravating, especially when the father doesn’t punish him for his cruel behavior, instead he yells at the youngest for using a foul word to describe his brother.  The daughter who is left in charge is apparently a spoiled brat with no respect for adults, and also treats her younger siblings in a foul manner.  These three are the sources upon which the story is based, and initially all you can do as a viewer is empathize with the young one and hope something happens in the game that crushes each of them.

The game itself is unpredictable and exciting.  The script and the direction is so great it completely compensates for the annoying stars.  By the time the Astronaut arrives and counteracts the ugliness of the older brother, the story has you hooked.  It’s exciting, adventurous, and the exact mystery of how they will finish the game makes everything even more heightened.  There is no real question about how the story will end, but the anticipation in getting there was too much fun.  By the time the film ends, you almost wish there were more turns for the boys to take, and it makes you wonder if they would have played the game again.

The special effects were exciting and exhilarating.  There was a childlike essence in everything that was visually created.  I viewed this one with my five year old, as I do with most family movies in order to help keep perspective, and the two of us were just spellbound by the set, the Robot, the Zorgones, and the floating house.

Zathura certainly started off rocky, but it pulled through and made for a magical children’s film that had an adult appeal as well.  Favreau continues to impress in his ability to direct and make films that are exciting and fulfilling to watch.  This one missed the mark in some places, as some of the character’s were more harsh than really necessary, but succeeded in it’s entirety.  I liked Zathura.

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