Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1548. Zathura (2005)

    1548. Zathura (2005)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on November 14, 2016 100-109 mins, 2005, 6 - 7.9, Action, Fantasy, Kids', Movies Of 2016, Nov 16, Review, Sci-Fi, United States
    7.6 A fantastic adventure
    • Acting 7.5
    • Directing 7.8
    • Story 7.5
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard

    Director: Jon Favreau

    Running Time: 101 mins


    Zathura is an American film about two bickering brothers who find themselves in outer space after their house is thrust into orbit because of a mysterious board game in the basement.

    This is a sort of spiritual sequel to Jumanji, taking many of the same plot premises and using them in a different environment. You may think that that would be a bad point, but in fact, Zathura is an ever better take on the story than Jumanji. Upbeat, imaginative and brilliantly fast-paced, I thought Zathura was an absolute heap of fun, and one of the best kids’ blockbusters of the last decade or so.

    By far the best thing about this movie is how imaginative it is. It was always great to see animals running wild in Jumanji, but Zathura’s space setting gives it a lot more variety and unpredictability. Just like the sort of adventure you’d think up in your head when playing a board game as a kid, this film takes you on wild rollercoasters, involving exciting action throughout, and clever little puzzles that you watch the characters solve.

    In that, it’s a wonderfully entertaining film, and works well for young kids and adults with a nostalgia for the wonder of childhood imagination. However, so much of the film could not have been achieved without some excellent special effects.

    A lot of these mid-2000s kids’ blockbusters are starting to look a little dated around now, but that’s not the case with Zathura. Heavily reliant on CGI, suspending a house in the deep reaches of space, the film actually does brilliantly to pull loads of outlandish ideas off convincingly. It’s no Gravity or Interstellar, but its visuals are consistently impressive and effective, helping to pull you in even further to the excitement at hand.

    Along with the excellent visual effects, Jon Favreau’s directing is fantastic here. Making brilliant use of a small real-life space, given that 99% of the film takes place inside the boys’ house, he gives the film a real sense of stakes as they try desperately to get back to Earth, as well as the upbeat and light-hearted atmosphere that makes it all so fun to watch. Paced excellently, Zathura is at times a riveting watch, and Favreau’s directing is a big part of that.

    The biggest draw of this film is its imaginative quality and its visual extravagance. When it comes to the story itself, I can’t really say it’s anything spectacular, but it is still pretty entertaining. Taking a very similar premise to Jumanji,  Zathura occasionally suffers from a sort of repetitive strain injury as the characters keep going back to play the game, which could have been presented better, but its faster pacing allows for the action and adventure side of the story to work a whole lot better.

    The rest of the story focuses on the relationship between the two brothers. Again, it’s a plot line we’ve seen before, but it is still engaging throughout, largely due to the performances by Josh Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo. Holding the film almost entirely on their own for the best part of an hour, they’re convincing and entertaining, and display some of the best performances from young actors you’ve seen in quite a while.

    Overall, I really enjoyed Zathura. A better take on of the Jumanji-style board game adventure movie, it’s a fast-paced, imaginative and visually exciting space adventure, whilst also featuring some great directing, good performances, and an entertaining story, which is why I’m giving it a 7.6.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.4
    Review
    June 5, 20150

    982. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

    8.4
    Review
    October 30, 20130

    333. Rear Window (1954)

    8.3
    Review
    March 13, 20140

    486. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

    8.1
    Review
    February 5, 20180

    2045. The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)

    8.1
    Review
    July 12, 20170

    1821. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.