Zathura: A Space Adventure - Review
Review by Jack Foley
ANYONE who remembers the Robin Williams adventure comedy Jumanji will know what to expect from Zathura: A Space Adventure, given that it borrows exactly the same premise of a game coming to life.
Yet Jon Favreau’s lively adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg’s book (which was written as a follow-up to Jumanji) is terrific fun for children and grown-ups alike thanks to some smart action sequences and appealing performances from its mostly young cast.
Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and Danny (Jonah Bobo) are two typically bickering brothers who have been left in the charge of their sister, Lisa (Kristen Stewart) by their over-worked father (Tim Robbins) in the house he has just bought to renovate. When Danny discovers a dusty board game named Zathura in the basement, however, the stage is set for an adventure beyond their wildest dreams.
The board game in question transports them into space and their only hope of return lies in the ability of one of the two children to win. But with meteor storms, evil aliens and murderous robots standing in their path, completing the board is more perilous than it first seems.
Despite being prone to obvious comparisons with Jumanji, Zathura is far better than its predecessor and a lot more fun than several other children’s movie besides. It does carry the obvious message of the importance of family but it doesn’t overdo the sentiment, while both Hutcherson and Bobo present believable kids – as dislikable, at times, as they are endearing.
Director Favreau also deserves praise for not relying too heavily on special effects, even though there are plenty of action sequences to keep the younger ones enthralled.
Indeed, some of the predicaments the children find themselves in are genuinely exciting – and each contains a nice line in humour that is capable of appealing to all ages (from movie in-jokes to knockaround fun).
Of the older cast members, Stewart provides a suitably feisty presence as the boys’ older sister (despite being frozen for a lot of the time), while Dax Shephard is capably heroic as an astronaut who comes to their rescue. Robbins, too, provides an engaging paternal presence and lends the film an extra slice of gravitas whenever he is on-screen.
Occasionally, the film feels a little repetitive and could do with being just a touch shorter but for those willing to roll the dice and take a chance, it offers universal appeal that should leave parents and children, especially, feeling over the moon.
Certificate: PG
Running time: 1hr 53mins