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Movies / Upcoming / Zathura
Zathura

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Zathura (2005)

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Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:22

Rotten:7

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 - 10 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
03/31/06
Sydney Morning Herald
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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
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
02/11/06
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
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A smart and funny kids' movie that will also keep parents entertained.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
11/14/05
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
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Zathura salutes the low-tech magic that lurks inside a board game -- that hidden ability to bring people together.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
11/11/05
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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Thanks in part to its over-reliance on special effects, the result seems all too familiar.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
11/10/05
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today
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The movie has a lot of the elements that might make it thrilling and it's visually arresting, but it's missing the emotional connection necessary to make it interesting.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
11/10/05
Kevin Crust
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
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Zathura lacks the undercurrents of archetypal menace and genuine emotion that informed The Polar Express. But it works gloriously as space opera.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
11/10/05
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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An extraterrestrial fantasy, based on a children's book by Chris Van Allsburg, that feels both real and unreal, like a dream you could shake off at any moment.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
11/10/05
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
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Arguably the best adaptation of a Chris Van Allsburg book to date.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/01/05
Justin Chang
Justin Chang
Variety
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1 - 10 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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