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Movies / Upcoming / 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.

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Childrens

US 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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Reviews for Zathura

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
03/31/06
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A flawed but likeable and kid-friendly fantasy with smartly blended effects, Zathura is a throwback to the space adventures of the 1980s.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/21/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

.

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
11/26/05
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

even with all the peril danger and turmoil the game causes, we secretly with that we could open a box from our basement and enter into an adventure like this... at least I do

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
11/10/05
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Gripping adventure with real stakes that keeps building and building. That's more than we can say for most grown-up action movies.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
11/10/05
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
About.com

Late-coming satisfaction helps make the movie almost worth the outer space trek.

Full Review Source: Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) | comment Comment
11/11/05
John Wirt
John Wirt
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

Here’s a film that is stuffed with cleverness and imagination – one that taps into some of the most primal childhood fantasies of adventure.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
11/15/05
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

Manages to entertain on various levels, excelling as an intense visceral thrill ride, as well as a small-scale drama with emotional punch, all peppered with smart humor.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
11/10/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

The best that can be said for Zathura is that it meets expectations, which is becoming more and more rare at the movies.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
11/10/05
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

Although it too predictably stays the course of its predecessor, it's enough of a blast to provide a thrill ride for the kids and be an entertaining (and inevitable) journey for parents.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
11/10/05
Melinda Ennis
Melinda Ennis
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Favreau continues to show a real flair for concocting worlds that persuasively blend the real and the fantastic ...

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
12/06/05
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
12/06/05
AV Club
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Smart and engaging, Zathura is one big "Check Mate" to Jumanji, a movie it trumps in every way.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
11/12/05
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/17/06
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A practically-perfect family flick which delivers a big lesson about the true meaning of brotherly love.

Full Review Source: Black Star News | comment Comment
01/05/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Black Star News

Rarely is a movie audience asked to put up with so much noise for such a thankless payoff as it must with Zathura.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
11/11/05
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
12/06/05
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

'Silly' is this movie's trade and, more often than not, it works.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
11/11/05
Matt Caracappa
Matt Caracappa
Boxoffice Magazine

When Robbins exits the movie for a business meeting, we kind of wish he'd take us with him.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
11/18/05
Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)

An odd mix of honesty and hokum that pilots a course toward greatness before settling into a somewhat lower orbit.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
11/11/05
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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