Zathura

By: debbie lynn elias

Don’t let that recent episode of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” in which the two teams created “floats” to advertise and promote this exceptional fantasy flick, keep you from the theater. After reading the book and seeing this movie, those guys and gals, quite simply, just didn’t get it. But you will thanks to director Jon Favreau.

Set 20 after “Jumanji” (you remember this one – an African Safari game comes to life in the living room; big game, Robin Williams -an incredible viewing experience), another game box surfaces. 10 year old Walter and 6 year old Danny Budwig are your typical brothers. Vying for their Dad’s attention, the two are always scrapping about something. With their not-so-responsible sister Lisa left in charge of them while Dad’s at work, the boys somehow find themselves stuck in the basement of their new (albeit old and creaky) house where they unearth a dusty old board game packed in a tin can.

Stumbling on what looks like an old 1950’s game take on outer space called Zathura , Danny starts to play. Engrossed and enthralled with a wind-up thingamajig, self-moving pieces and a metal turnkey that serves as the dice, even Walter’s curiosity and fascination is aroused – especially when Danny pulls a card that says “Meteor shower, take evasive action.” Before long the game has come to life and we’ve got meteor showers in the living room, a house flying through space much like Dorothy Gale’s did in a twister back in 1939, a homicidal robot, a hungry astronaut and an alien race of Zorgons, just to name a few. Toss in two rambunctious brothers tormenting each other and their sister, all the while trying to finish the game and get their house back to normal before dad gets home, and we’ve got ourselves one heck of an adventure. Add in the creativity and visualization of director Jon Favreau and we’ve got ourselves a heck of a movie.

Child actors Jonah Bobo and Josh Hutcherson are ideal as Danny and Walter. Their chemistry and brotherly antics had me believing it could have been my own two brothers up on the screen (only they used 2×4’s with nails to beat up on each other). Enhancing this already captivating dynamic is Kristen Stewart as 15 year old older sister Lisa. Disinterested and put upon by the responsibilities of being the “big sister”, Stewart’s performance is more than impressive. Tim Robbins makes a brief appearance as their stressed out haggard father, but as comes as no surprise, Robbins make the most of his minimal screen time completing the authenticity of the Budwig family. A nice surprise is Dax Shepard as our hungry, space travelling astronaut. In what is undoubtedly the most expansive role of his career to date, Shepard provides a well grounded, yet fun, tacit sense of life and reason to not only the young characters, but the film as a whole. Proving he’s not just a background hanger-oner, look for some great things from Shepard in the future. And of course, lets not forget Frank Oz who provides the voice of the Robot. As with his work as Yoda in “Star Wars”, Oz once again makes an indelible onscreen character.

But the driving force behind this splendiferous ride is director Jon Favreau. From the opening credits of a camera racing over the board game like a rocket through space, right up through the end, you feel like a kid on a roller coaster for the first time. Full of anticipation, wonder and glee, you can’t help but feel the kid inside come alive with every twist and turn of the game. Notable is that while Favreau relies on CGI for some of the effects, the film is not over-run with them and relies on good old fashioned movie-making. What I found particularly interesting was the way he shot tight interiors within the family home, giving the feeling of almost being backed into a corner as if playing a game, and balancing this with the extraordinary outer-space visuals, especially the view of stars and black space from the windows. The home is warm and inviting, giving a sense of safety in stark contrast to the eye-popping “space” features. The whole film is visually compelling and stimulating.

If there is one downfall to the overall work, it comes in the form of the screenplay. Although screenwriters David Koepp and John Kamps have done an admirable job in adapting the Van Allsberg book, there are some holes in the narrative that may appear gaping to adults but missed by the kids thanks to Favreau’s visual excitement. Van Allsberg books are not the easiest to translate to film because of his attention to detail and feel of the story created by his words and illustrations, not to mention the brevity of the books, but Koepp and Kamps capture the essence and excitement of the story to a tee.

After the success of last year’s “Elf” and now with “Zathura”, Jon Favreau proves that he’s the man with the pulse on big screen family entertainment. Fun for the whole family, “Zathura” is an adventure ride you’ll find yourself wanting to take again and again.

Danny: Jonah Bobo Walter: Josh Hutcherson Lisa: Kristen Stewart Dad: Tim Robbins Astronaut: Dax Shepard Robot: voice of Frank Oz

Directed by Jon Favreau. Written by David Koepp and John Kamps. Based on the book by Chris Van Allsberg. A Sony Pictures release. Rated PG. (113 min)