rkhen
This fun little film with a message (appreciate your siblings) could have been preachy or nauseatingly "family-oriented", but it's not. The kids are realistic, and there are effectively no adults guiding or lecturing them. (OK, possibly one young adult; you'll have to see the movie to get it.) A nice evening home with the kids, or just a trip back to childhood. Special mention to Dax Shepard, whose performance as The Astronaut is delicately nuanced between competent and capable, and sensitive and approachable. A memorable character.
able-lili
Bad casting, lack of chemistry among the 'actors' made an interesting plot sound like a screeching chalk that never ends.
The premise of two kids siblings fighting is not new, but at least make one of them sympathetic. The younger kid is a disaster at all levels. That character was not made for the actor who plays it.
The astronaut is overplayed, and lacks charm or chemistry with any of the other players.
The worse part about it, I kept watching it, trying to see if by a miracle this got better... and it didn't.
The Outer Space Animations were spot on. THOSE deserved a better movie to be on.
Gabriel Teixeira
'Zathura' is based on another of Chris Van Allsburg's books, from the same series as 'Jumanji'. However, this film is not meant to be connected with 1995's 'Jumanji'... despite being pretty much the same thing, only the game now has a space motif rather than a jungle one.Maybe it's a fault of Van Allsburg's novel, or just laziness from the director/screenwriters. Nearly everything, from the sibling dynamic, a man lost in time in the game, a being within the game chasing the lost man, the whole thing being a kind of morality play... It feels just too similar for me.Of course, there is no Robin Williams this time. It has, however, a not-yet-famous Kristen Stewart: her character has little to no importance plot-wise, and from what I get it wasn't even in the book. She is meant to be little more than a minor comic relief, and doesn't do much really.'Zathura' has very good visuals and a fantasy-like quality that might really enchant younger children, that's sure; maybe even provide for some fun for older audiences as well. On the other hand, while the sibling relationship is done quite realistically and their fighting is consistent with children their age, watching such childish yelling and arguing gets irritating after a certain point.Some points of the film are a bit too childish, even for a fantasy film; like the children's wishes when prompted by the game. Most of the situations seem like any other child adventure film, in a tried-and-true format that tries to invoke some charm. The actors aren't really great, mostly doing just enough for their roles to work but nothing more.In the end, 'Zathura' is mostly a film for younger audiences. For me, it did little to nothing: not really a waste of time, but not great either. However, 'Jumanji' did leave a strong impression in my childhood and retains some nostalgia power to this day: maybe 'Zathura' can repeat that aspect with younger audiences, as well?
