Zathura

L-R, Danny (Jonah Bobo), Lisa (Kristen Stewart), the Astronaut (Dax Shepard)
and Walter (Josh Hutcherson). ©2005, Columbia Pictures.

 
I think I should get this out of the way first… Is “Zathura,” based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg, a retread of “Jumanji,” also based on a book by Van Allsburg? Yes. Will kids care? Probably not. “Jumanji” is now ten years old, and few in the target audience for this film will have been barely able to remember its predecessor, if they were even born yet. Even if they were, kids have a propensity to adore recycled themes… so, I dunno. At 31, with no children, I’m not the person to be asking whether your kids will like it or not. But I will try to give my impression of the film based on whether or not I think it works, given its intentions.

The opening titles aren’t from an unfinished effects reel. The hues threw me off for a second but, no… the title sequence sets an expectation for Buck Rogers-style adventure. A family in a quiet neighborhood is outside in their front yard (something I see rarely these days, what with computers and video game consoles, etc. but… I’ll get back to this later). Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and his father (Tim Robbins) are playing catch. Danny (Jonah Bobo) runs interference and upsets Walter. Danny, of course, is the younger brother who embarrasses and annoys the older brother in every way possible. Anyone who has a younger brother probably understands this. I was that younger brother, and I do understand the truth behind it. Now I feel bad about destroying all my brother’s airplane models. But that’s what little brothers are for.

Dad tries to console Danny. “He’s good at some things, and you’re good at other things,” he says, “You’re very special.” Danny replies, “That’s what people say when they can’t think of anything.”

The father (who has no name in the credits other than “Dad”), an industrial designer for an automobile manufacturer, is of course the unintentional workaholic and, as luck would have it, recently divorced. In the middle of a fight between the boys, the father tries to break things up but Danny throws a ball that knocks over a glass of juice, which spills on to and ruins one of the father’s drawings. I like the fact that, breaking with the formula, the father doesn’t go completely berserk here. Instead, he says he’ll have to go to the office and get a reprint. That answered the thought which occurred to me immediately as the glass spilled, “Don’t they keep these drawings on computers now?”

So the father (raise your hand, dads, if you can relate to this) goes back to work, on the weekend, in his classic car. Now this perplexes me, and I’ll explain why. The father has a very distinctive looking classic sedan, and Danny finds this Zathura board game in the creaky, drafty basement of their vintage house. However, no further elaboration is given to either. I was certain there was a subplot there waiting to be explored regarding the differences and similarities between the board-game baby-boomers and the post-X-gens with chronic Nintendo thumb. However, the opportunity for such a connection is squandered.

Now, I should mention there is a sister in this equation, Lisa (Kristen Stewart). It took me a while to remember because, well, like many teenagers, she starts her weekend off sleeping in… and is absent for a good part of the movie, though I won’t spoil exactly why. Given the fact that this is a fantasy film that works with, not against, the minds of the two children steering the adventure, what point is there in questioning plausibility?

The course of events is predictable… Danny finds the game, wants Walter to play. Walter thinks anything Danny’s into is childish, naturally. So Danny starts the game by himself, and that’s when things go crazy. For every turn, there’s a card that pops out of the game. Each card holds its own fate which, as in “Jumanji,” becomes real when the card is read aloud. Thus ensues meteor showers, robots, the house flying through outer space, and, er… Zorgons. It’s always those Zorgons, isn’t it.

Along the way, they rescue an astronaut (Dax Shepard), who becomes a companion to them in their resistance of the Zorgon attacks. I know, it all sounds very technical. Rest assured, your kids will get what I mean… even if they have to make up the backstory in their own imagination. But that’s what kids do.

One endearing, if maudlin, quality of this movie is that it’s about team work and brotherhood. The dad and sister really take a backseat to the brothers’ discovery that their return home from Zathura depends largely on each other. In truth, my memory’s not that great and my review is undoubtedly not based on any comparison to “Jumanji” because I found that film rather forgettable. I’m sure I’ll forget this film too, but isn’t that kind of how kids minds work: Excited with one thing one week, and then on to the next? Well, that might be the biggest reason I think this movie will be appreciated by children.

It’s not a great film, and it has logical inconsistencies. For example, when the Zorgons are attracted to the furnace heat of the house the second time around, why don’t the kids turn it off immediately? How is it that gravity works only selectively—e.g. when they pass certain objecs of mass and not others? But do you think a ten year old cares? If you have one that does, then there are countless other films for which they’ll have greater appreciation. However, if your kid can focus on being a kid for just two hours, and not worry about why Walter can spit into space but he’s not sucked into the vacuum of it along with his spit… well, your child therefore might enjoy the lighthearted fantasy and cameraderie of “Zathura.”

One way of looking at it is that it’s no better than “Jumanji,” but another way of looking at it is that it’s no worse. It’s your call. What I really want to know is: Who the hell is manufacturing these games and why aren’t they being stopped? …at least a warning label, perhaps?

Zathura • Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • Running Time: 113 minutes • MPAA Rating: PG for fantasy action and peril, and some language. • Distributed by Columbia Pictures