I know, I know, this film is for kids, but i watched it with mine last night, and i really enjoyed it, has anyone here seen this? If you haven't and you have kids then i would suggest that you do!! it was funny, and entertaining!! plot: Two boys, Walter and Danny, discover a space themed board game, wherein everything inside it becomes real. The boys are eventually drawn into an adventure when their house is magically hurtled through space. The story is similar to Jumanji, another illustrated book by Van Allsburg (in the book, the Zathura game is contained inside the Jumanji one, although paradoxically the astronaut is revealed to be the creator of Jumanji). During the course of the story, the boys must overcome their personal ill-feeling held toward one another in order to survive. They are aided in this by a Dutch astronaut who appears as a result of the game. This astronaut is eventually revealed to be an older version of Walter, who had been trapped as a character in the game's world as a result of causing the disappearance of Danny, without whom he was no longer a player. This backstory becomes the basis, although the viewer only sees its role as such in retrospect, of parallels drawn between the two versions of Walter, including a revelation of the backstory without mention of his name or that of his brother. Accompanying Danny, Walter, and the astronaut, though not contributing much more than speech, is their cantankerous elder sister, Lisa, who while not a player is as vulnerable to the dangers present in the game. The main villains in the movie are the Zorgons; reptilian, biped tool-users who are fond of heat and are attracted to a heat source much like bees are attracted to nectar, because they are cold-blooded. The Zorgons, having burned their own planet to obtain more heat, are nomads who travel through space seeking more to burn. Another character, a robot, first appears (as a wind-up tin toy that quickly becomes life-size) rampaging through the house. It can change alliances via the "Reprogram" card from the game. Walter uses this on the robot, which is attacking him, and it instead sets its sights on the Zorgons, committing suicide to destroy them. Danny eventually completes the object of the game, whereupon the house and everything within it are drawn into a roaring black hole. Lisa and Walter are both drawn into the black hole. Danny realizes Zathura is a black hole. Moments later, they have returned to Earth. All the "pieces" of the game (the house, its furnishing, and the players have been replaced as they were before the game began. The brothers are thereafter much more co-operative with one another. -------------------------------------------------- Zathura is a film directed by Jon Favreau, released in November 2005, based on an illustrated book by Chris Van Allsburg. It starred Jonah Bobo as Danny and Josh Hutcherson as Walter. Tim Robbins also had a small role as the divorced father of Walter and Danny. The film also gave a sister to the boys, introduced a derelict astronaut to the plot, and multiplied the number of the Zorgons and Zorgon ships. This movie is considered as the first of a series, being a prequel to Jumanji despite being released ten years hence. -------------------------------------------------------- Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
If we are flipping through the channels and its one, its where we stop. We have seen it numerous times, but we always have to watch it again. Its that good. Much better than Jumanji.
I groaned a little when my girlfriend wanted to watch it (i'm 33). I actually quite enjoyed it though. If you're older but still like good fantasy you'll probably like it.
