Zathura (2005)
Average Rating: 6.6/10
Reviews Counted: 158
Fresh: 119 | Rotten: 39
Dazzling special effects for the kids + well-crafted storytelling for the 'rents = cinematic satisfaction for the whole family.
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Critic Reviews: 33
Fresh: 25 | Rotten: 8
Dazzling special effects for the kids + well-crafted storytelling for the 'rents = cinematic satisfaction for the whole family.
liked it
Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 259,039
My Rating
Movie Info
Two young brothers are drawn into an intergalactic adventure when their house is magically hurtled through space because of the board game they are playing.
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Cast
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Jonah Bobo
Danny -
Josh Hutcherson
Walter -
Dax Shepard
Astronaut -
Kristen Stewart
Lisa -
Tim Robbins
Dad -
Frank Oz
Robot -
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All Critics (160) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (124) | Rotten (39) | DVD (19)
Favreau gratifyingly prevents the film from becoming a mere maelstrom of CG effects by pushing the brothers' amusing bickering to the fore...
Top CriticA smart and funny kids' movie that will also keep parents entertained.
Zathura, Jon Favreau's adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's kid-lit adventure of the same name, more than fills the bill -- though it's unlikely to draw anyone over the age of 11 (not counting baby-sitters).
Zathura salutes the low-tech magic that lurks inside a board game -- that hidden ability to bring people together.
In seeking to entertain adults as well as children, director Jon Favreau (Elf) may have overplayed his hand a bit on the grown-up side.
Zathura is most interesting and least predictable in its opening scenes -- before the impressive special effects take over.
Zathura is a space circus of the surreal that recalls a time when the likes of Joe Dante ruled the pre-adolescent pop sphere.
It doesn't talk down its audience, it doesn't paint clichés, it doesn't insult our intelligence, and its entertainment is enjoyable for both adults and children. That's rare.
Sci-fi adventure story for the elementary school set.
A heartwarming family flick which delivers a touching lesson about the true meaning of brotherly love.
At times it seemed like events were occurring just so the kids, or the kids in the audience, could learn their lesson a little bit more.
A lively, imaginative tall tale that should thrill young audiences and engage their parents.
A practically-perfect family flick which delivers a big lesson about the true meaning of brotherly love.
Charming children's adventure with some superb performances from the young cast.
For those who love the majesty of the solar system, the thrill of space battles, and the adventure of finding secret passageways in old houses, this movie should be just the ticket.
full review in Greek
Despite its peculiar name and the fact it bears a strong resemblance to Jumanji -- another film inspired by a book by children's author Van Allsburg -- it's hard not to like Zathura.
Any game is more fun to play than to watch others play, even if it involves death-defying stunts and harrowing alien encounters that would frighten even the heartiest souls.
...rarely dull...
Audience Reviews for Zathura
Super Reviewer
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- Danny: A card came out!
- Walter: Fascinating.
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Foreign Titles
- Zathura: A Space Adventure (DE)
- Zathura - A Space Adventure (UK)
Jon Favreau, who is responsible of equally bad Iron Man films, is lacking style, originality and capacity of making his film into a entertainment worth to see. Children in this film are very unlikeable. They swear, yell and hate each other and it is extremely hard for viewer to like or care them at all. To make it simple, they are just plain annoying. Why should we in the audience care about these kids? It remains a mystery even when the film ends.
Zathura is film without good director, likeable characters, innovative approach and most of all screenplay that would actually make any sense. This film is so all over the place that after twenty minutes into it i was ready to give up.
Children will possibly forgive it's flaws, but for adult audience this is just painful to sit through. Not only it's a bad film but even worse as a family film, which it is aimed to be. If you want to see better film from the exactly same idea then i advice you to see Jumanji over Zathura.