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Movies / On DVD / Zathura
Zathura

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Zathura (2005)

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Reviews Counted:146

Fresh:111

Rotten:35

Average Rating:6.6/10

Consensus: Dazzling special effects for the kids + well-crafted storytelling for the 'rents = cinematic satisfaction for the whole family.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for fantasy action and peril, and some language.

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:Nov 11, 2005 Wide

Box Office: $28,045,540

Synopsis: Actor-turned-director Jon Favreau (SWINGERS, ELF) delivers another work of intelligent, charming family fare with this space adventure, based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg (JUMANJI). Older... Actor-turned-director Jon Favreau (SWINGERS, ELF) delivers another work of intelligent, charming family fare with this space adventure, based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg (JUMANJI). Older brother Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and the younger Danny (Jonah Bobo) are constantly at war with one another, bickering over the mediating voice of their long-suffering father (Tim Robbins). When he has to go to the office to replace some papers the boys destroyed in their crossfire, he leaves them in the dubious care of older sister Lisa (Kristen Stewart), who is sleeping upstairs. When Danny discovers an old board game called Zathura stored in the basement, his excitement is lost on Walter, who has no time for such old, boring toys. Soon, however, the game becomes impossible to ignore, as the boys are transported into space, and one of them must win in order to make it home again. Each turn brings a new, often dangerous, surprise, and the boys are faced with a murderous robot, an explosive meteor shower, and lizard-like aliens, while poor Lisa is cryogenically frozen early in the game. The adventure yields some heartwarming, family-friendly life lessons, and Dax Shepard (IDIOCRACY) is unusually subdued in his role as a stranded astronaut. [More]

Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart

Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart, Tim Robbins, Peter Billingsley, Derek Mears

Director: Jon Favreau

Director: Jon Favreau
Producer: Ted Field, Scott Kroopf
Composer: John Debney
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Feb 14, 2006

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Reviews for Zathura

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61 - 80 (sorted by date)
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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.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
11/11/05
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Zathura is most interesting and least predictable in its opening scenes -- before the impressive special effects take over.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
11/11/05
Tom Keogh
Tom Keogh
Seattle Times

Zathura can be enjoyed solely as a sci-fi adventure. But it also sneaks in a couple of messages for those receptive to them.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
11/11/05
Ruthe Stein
Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If adults find a drawback, it's in watching the old home and its beautiful woodwork destroyed in serial blastings and smashes. But there are no dumb songs, small jokes slip in neatly and Zathura can please its market niche (mostly sub-12).

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
11/11/05
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Although Zathura lacks the Robin Williams star power of Jumanji, it has a more adventurous and energetic aura. In fact, it's a nonstop romp through the imagination.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
11/11/05
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

The zingy wit and ingenuity of the film's early scenes gradually fades, as Zathura becomes an increasingly repetitive series of action sequences, each noisier than the last.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
11/11/05
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com

Zathura may be one of those rare cases of a sequel being better than the original.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
11/11/05
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

Director Jon Favreau, coming off Elf, keeps Zathura moving, but never fast enough to make it fly.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
11/11/05
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

Your children will probably love it, and you won't feel lobotomized in the process.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
11/11/05
M.E. Russell
M.E. Russell
Oregonian

Zathura serves up kid-friendly sci-fi thrills, along with a little nostalgia for grownups. Its low-tech special effects are a refreshing departure from the CG norm.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
11/11/05
Lisa Rose
Lisa Rose
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Director Jon Favreau ... mostly keeps it exhilarating rather than headache-inducing.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
11/11/05
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

Zathura is basically Jumanji in outer space -- and even without Robin Williams, this is still a singularly loud, charmless and overbearing family movie that could use a hit or two of Ritalin.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
11/11/05
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A wild buckle-up-and-blast-off adventure that plunges every corner of kids' favorite subject.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
11/11/05
Peter Debruge
Peter Debruge
Miami Herald

The best adaptation yet of a Chris Van Allsburg (Jumanji, The Polar Express) children's book, Zathura confirms director Jon Favreau's mastery of the retro-cool family-film format.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
11/11/05
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

The performances, lavish special effects, the setting and Favreau’s pacing combine in a winning adventure.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
11/11/05
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

After watching the kids play Zathura in Zathura -- a crackling family adventure in which sibling rivalries play out against a backdrop of Robbie-like robot assaults and devouring gila monsters -- all I can say is, let me at it.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
11/11/05
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

Zathura is easygoing, brashly humorous and a lot less interested in technology than adventure.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
11/11/05
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The special effects and story do most of the heavy lifting, [but] it's surprising and gratifying how well acted Zathura is...

Full Review Source: Now Playing Magazine | comment Comment
11/11/05
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Now Playing Magazine

It's fine for third-grade boys who thrive on action only, but this just ain't whimsical enough for everyone else.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
11/11/05
E! Online

There is a wonderful old-fashioned zest to "Zathura," an air of jet-propelled innocent wonder that has just enough modern grounding and grumbling to ring emotionally true. It's the sort of movie that feels simultaneously classic and new.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
11/11/05
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date)
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