A young girl living on a tropical island with her scientist father is left to fend for herself after her dad's boat leaves him stranded far away and careless tour companies wreak havoc on the secluded paradise in directors Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett's adaptation of the popular children's book by author Wendy Orr. Realizing that she will need adult assistance if she truly hopes to save her home, the resourceful youngster soon begins exchanging e-mails with the author of a book she has been
reading. Nim's Island stars Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin, as well as Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Foster proves adept at broad physical comedy, the animated sequences charm, and codirectors Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett send up the make-believe Rover with panache.
There's a lot to like about spunky Breslin, even when she's unnecessarily recapping events or recapitulating Home Alone as she chases caricatured cruise-ship tourists from her island. She's a charismatic, energetic presence at the heart of the film
Nim's Island is a win-win proposition: an entertaining, diverting adventure saga that offers excitement and a relatable heroine for children, and also will remind their parents of favorite classics from their own youth.
Nim's aquatic adventures and those on land provide the majority of thrills in this exhilarating and enchanting family picture. It's the best I've seen this year and highly recommended for girls and for boys, too.
Overplayed: there are entirely too many beaming smiles and emotional flip-outs...the only reason to see this movie is Foster, whose overplaying somehow succeeds at charming where her costars fail. [Blu-Ray]
If you have a child, Nim's Island is the kind of film you won't be sorry you shared with him or especially her, and if you don't have a youngster, you'll wish you did.
"Jodie 'Brave One' Foster is still peeved, though now it's less about what bad people do, than how icky their unsanitary their germs are. And she isn't half bad either doing a divine nitwit dining on worms or playing soccer with a coconut in the wilds.
The movie gets plain silly, but at least it's lively, and young girls will enjoy Nim's lifestyle in her eco-friendly and frolic-packed tropical paradise.
for all the curiosity of seeing Foster in a rare comic rōle, her neurotic, tic-afflicted, accident-prone Alexandra annoys more than she engages, which is a problem for a character who contributes so little to the actual plot apart from diversion
here is in fact no actual villain or conflict or tension or fun, and let's face it: we all know Jack will make it back safe and sound (sorry kids, but Wendy Or doesn't have JK Rowling's narrative cahoonas)
If your kids have been totally weaned on ADD-addled animated flicks that mostly coast on crude humor and instantly dated pop culture references, then this clearly isn't the film for them.
There's not a lot of adventure in Nim's Island but there is a lot of character development and although it might be confusing for some, the acting and script just about save's it.
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