ZATHURA
A SPACE ADVENTURE
Starring:
Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart and Tim Robbins
Director:
Jon Favreau
Running Time:
113 mins
Out to buy on DVD 26/06/06
"We have to complete the game to get home"
When their father is called back into work, brothers Danny (Bobo) and Walter (Hutcherson) continue to argue about what to do. Danny then finds a board game in the basement of their new house and even though Walter won't play, Danny starts to play anyway. After his first turn, a card pops out the game saying 'Meteor Shower' and as the boys continue to argue a meteor crashes through the ceiling. Danny and Walter soon realise that Zathura might not actually be just a board game.
While a story about some kids getting magically pulled into board game might sound very familiar but outer space is a completely different jungle.
From the same author who wrote 'Jumanji', Chris Van Allsburg, 'Zathura: A Space Adventure' takes the same exciting premise but transports the action from the wilds of the jungle into the cosmos. The board game structure of the movie stays the same, with each turn bringing more and more dangers for the players. The game is also there to teach the players a valuable life lesson but it is never going to be easy.
Actor turned director Jon Favreau proves again that he as talented behind as he is in front of the camera. After the success of 'Elf', Favreau takes on another family film and excels. 'Zathura' has everything the audience needs for a family film. Action, adventure and very believable characters that are extremely easy to get behind, make this as entertaining as you can possibility get. The director handles this with great dexterity and vision but he also shows his skill with actors, especially the two young lead actors. He is helped tremendously the screenplay by David Koepp and John Kamps, that injects the film with some snappy dialogue and action aplenty.
The main reason for the film's success is the performances from the two young actors playing Danny and Walter. Both Jonah Bobo and Josh Hutcherson are no strangers to the small and silver screen, even though they are very young but neither of them has ever had to carry a film entirely on their small shoulders but they achieve this in spectacular fashion. Whatever age you are, you can instantly connect with the character, especially if you have ever had an older or younger sibling. These characters are totally believable, even though they are going through a totally unbelievable situation. As for their support, Dax Sheppard does a good job as the Astronaut and Kristen Stewart is good as their lazy sister Lisa.
The visual effects and production design of the film are of the highest calibre. With all the advances in computer-generated effects, SFX have to be extraordinarily good to standout but the ones in 'Zathura' are. Taking the house into space was always going to be test for the production but totally destroying the house as the boys get more involved in the game, as well as the numerous spaceships, planets, robots and aliens.
'Zathura: A Space Adventure' is one of the finest examples of a family action movie to be released in a very long time. The story might be almost the same as 'Jumanji' but this shouldn't spoil your enjoyment in the slightest. Action, adventure, pure escapism and with two leading characters that are just brilliantly realised this is outstanding family viewing.
PICTURE & SOUND
Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well, highlighting the excellent visual effects.
BONUS FEATURES
Commentary with Jon Favreau and Peter Billingsley
The director and the producer provide a fun and chatty commentary about
bringing Chris Van Allsburg's story to the silver screen. The pair talks
about the influences behind the feature, highlighting how they wanted
to showcase the best about early science fiction and shy away from the
more modern looking films in the genre. They reveal behind the scenes
secrets, revealing how they didn't want to promote this as a true sequel
to 'Jumanji' and push the film as far as they could under the restrains
of a PG certificate. They also talk extensively about the house set and
the use of as much practical effects as they could get away with. This
is a good commentary from two genuinely knowledgeable and fun filmmakers.
Race to the Black Planet (10.16 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, co-producer Peter Billingsley, visual effects supervisor
Joe Bauer, visual effects producer Joseph Conmy, special effects supervisor
Jon G. Belyeu and stars Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo and Dax Shepard talk
about bringing 'Zathura' to the silver screen. Here we discover the film's
emphasis on the practical effects, doing most of the effects in camera
and on the set with the featurette revealing the secrets behind the house,
the meteor shower, the robot and the Zorgons.
The Right Moves (14.57 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, co-producer Peter Billingsley, producer Michael
De Luca, director of photography Guillermo Navaro, production designer
Michael Riva, stunt coordinator Tom Harper and stars Josh Hutcherson and
Jonah Bobo talk about story and family dynamic behind 'Zathura'. The can
and crew talk about creating a family film that is a combination of classic
science fiction and a family story.
The Cast (12.51 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, co-producer Peter Billingsley, casting director
Avy Kaufman, producer Michael De Luca and stars Josh Hutcherson, Jonah
Bobo, Tim Robbins, Kristen Stewart and Dax Shepard talk about been the
only five cast members in the film. Here we see the screen tests of the
kids and how they created their relationship on screen.
Miniatures (9.48 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, producer Michael De Luca, production designer Michael
Riva, visual effects supervisor Joe Bauer, production designer Michael
Riva, and miniature supervisor Michael Joyce reveal how the House and
the Zorgon ships designed and built. They reveal the influences behind
the design of the house and the ships and they reveal the amount of detail
in the models.
The World of Chris Van Allsburg (12.52 mins)
The author of 'Zathura', 'Jumanji' and 'The Polar Express' talks about
how he became a writer/illustrator. He also shows his art and sculpture
and how the story of Zathura was introduced in Jumanji.
Zorgons, Robots, and Frozen Lisa (16.42 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, visual effects supervisor Joe Bauer, visual effects
producer Joseph Conmy, special effects supervisor Jon G. Belyeu, creature
designer Stan Winston, animatronic supervisor Shane Mahan and stars Josh
Hutcherson and Kristen Stewart reveal how the creatures and robots were
created practically and not with computers for the movie.
Making the Game (14.00 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, production designer Michael Riva, illustrator Phil
Saunders, property master Russell Bobbitt and star Josh Hutcherson talk
about designing the 'Zathura' game. Here we discover the influences behind
the design of the game and it box, as it highlights the 50s style and
look.
Trailers
Watch previews of 'The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl', 'Click',
'Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children', 'Open Season', 'Stuart Little 3:
Call of the Wild', 'The Pink Panther' and 'Yours, Mine and Ours'
OVERALL
The DVD package for 'Zathura' is excellent. Sony Pictures have done a great job, filling the disc with featurettes that cover almost of the film's production. Add to this an excellent commentary and you have a package that fans will really enjoy.
DVD
Jumanji
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2006