Zathura is that rare movie that keeps the game enjoyable from beginning to end. Nobody will be inclined to pack up the pieces before the finish line is reached.
Comment
11/11/05
Zathura (2005)
76
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
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... [More]
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart
Director: Jon Favreau
Reviews for Zathura
81 - 100 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Zathura really is what the television ads and movie trailers make it out to be -- Jumanji in Space. Though better and more exciting than that probably makes it sound.
11/11/05
Zathura is a rousing tale with an agreeable balance of fear and teachable moments, the kind of adventure story that seems old-fashioned these days.
11/11/05
One of the best live-action family films of the year because it understands that its wowing sights would be just as enjoyable acted out by an imaginative child.
11/11/05
Zathura may be Jumanji in outer space. And the way the plot works out is not exactly rocket science. But the way it flies is very cool.
11/11/05
Actor and director Jon Favreau follows up his hugely successful Elf with this shining example of the best way to adapt and expand on Chris Van Allsburg's popular, yet slim, children's book.
11/11/05
Tagged as a "new adventure from the world of Jumanji," Zathura certainly keeps to the same venturesome spirit as the original. But the sequel still seems to be a bit of a retread.
11/11/05
Favreau is one of those rare directors who remembers his own childhood and can actually re-create what kids might want to see in a film.
11/11/05
An odd mix of honesty and hokum that pilots a course toward greatness before settling into a somewhat lower orbit.
11/11/05
'Silly' is this movie's trade and, more often than not, it works.
11/11/05
Rarely is a movie audience asked to put up with so much noise for such a thankless payoff as it must with Zathura.
11/11/05
It takes a special sort of imagination to make us wonder how possible it is to make macaroni and cheese in outer space.
11/11/05
... if you're willing to settle for a diverting journey that's awfully reminiscent of a previous trip, Zathura will get you there.
11/11/05
...comes back to the troubled adolescent relationship that is at the core of its story.
11/11/05
Zathura is a far better film than Jumanji, and not just because Robin Williams isn’t in it.
11/11/05
The movie is very similar to Jumanji (same author, same plot), but it's still a fun adventure with special effects that are out of this world.
11/11/05
Director Jon Favreau creates a childlike world for the movie. Mostly everything is shown through the eyes of the boys.
11/11/05
Late-coming satisfaction helps make the movie almost worth the outer space trek.
11/11/05
It confirms the idea that the imagination knows no boundaries. And it would have been nice to find one of those imaginations to make the movie.
11/11/05
What makes the fantasy elements seem particularly colorful is that the film immediately grounds the characters in reality.
11/11/05
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