Zathura: A Space Adventure (www.the-usher.com)

"We have to complete the game to get home"

When their father is called back into work, brothers Danny (Bobo) and Walter (Hutcherson) continue to argue about what to do. Danny then finds a board game in the basement of their new house and even though Walter won't play, Danny starts to play anyway. After his first turn, a card pops out the game saying 'Meteor Shower' and as the boys continue to argue a meteor crashes through the ceiling. Danny and Walter soon realise that Zathura might not actually be just a board game.

While a story about some kids getting magically pulled into board game might sound very familiar but outer space is a completely different jungle.

From the same author who wrote 'Jumanji', Chris Van Allsburg, 'Zathura: A Space Adventure' takes the same exciting premise but transports the action from the wilds of the jungle into the cosmos. The board game structure of the movie stays the same, with each turn bringing more and more dangers for the players. The game is also there to teach the players a valuable life lesson but it is never going to be easy.

Actor turned director Jon Favreau proves again that he as talented behind as he is in front of the camera. After the success of 'Elf', Favreau takes on another family film and excels. 'Zathura' has everything the audience needs for a family film. Action, adventure and very believable characters that are extremely easy to get behind, make this as entertaining as you can possibility get. The director handles this with great dexterity and vision but he also shows his skill with actors, especially the two young lead actors. He is helped tremendously the screenplay by David Koepp and John Kamps, that injects the film with some snappy dialogue and action aplenty.

The main reason for the film's success is the performances from the two young actors playing Danny and Walter. Both Jonah Bobo and Josh Hutcherson are no strangers to the small and silver screen, even though they are very young but neither of them has ever had to carry a film entirely on their small shoulders but they achieve this in spectacular fashion. Whatever age you are, you can instantly connect with the character, especially if you have ever had an older or younger sibling. These characters are totally believable, even though they are going through a totally unbelievable situation. As for their support, Dax Sheppard does a good job as the Astronaut and Kristen Stewart is good as their lazy sister Lisa.

The visual effects and production design of the film are of the highest calibre. With all the advances in computer-generated effects, SFX have to be extraordinarily good to standout but the ones in 'Zathura' are. Taking the house into space was always going to be test for the production but totally destroying the house as the boys get more involved in the game, as well as the numerous spaceships, planets, robots and aliens.

'Zathura: A Space Adventure' is one of the finest examples of a family action movie to be released in a very long time. The story might be almost the same as 'Jumanji' but this shouldn't spoil your enjoyment in the slightest. Action, adventure, pure escapism and with two leading characters that are just brilliantly realised this is outstanding family viewing.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well, highlighting the excellent visual effects.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary with Jon Favreau and Peter Billingsley
The director and the producer provide a fun and chatty commentary about bringing Chris Van Allsburg's story to the silver screen. The pair talks about the influences behind the feature, highlighting how they wanted to showcase the best about early science fiction and shy away from the more modern looking films in the genre. They reveal behind the scenes secrets, revealing how they didn't want to promote this as a true sequel to 'Jumanji' and push the film as far as they could under the restrains of a PG certificate. They also talk extensively about the house set and the use of as much practical effects as they could get away with. This is a good commentary from two genuinely knowledgeable and fun filmmakers.

Race to the Black Planet (10.16 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, co-producer Peter Billingsley, visual effects supervisor Joe Bauer, visual effects producer Joseph Conmy, special effects supervisor Jon G. Belyeu and stars Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo and Dax Shepard talk about bringing 'Zathura' to the silver screen. Here we discover the film's emphasis on the practical effects, doing most of the effects in camera and on the set with the featurette revealing the secrets behind the house, the meteor shower, the robot and the Zorgons.

The Right Moves (14.57 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, co-producer Peter Billingsley, producer Michael De Luca, director of photography Guillermo Navaro, production designer Michael Riva, stunt coordinator Tom Harper and stars Josh Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo talk about story and family dynamic behind 'Zathura'. The can and crew talk about creating a family film that is a combination of classic science fiction and a family story.

The Cast (12.51 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, co-producer Peter Billingsley, casting director Avy Kaufman, producer Michael De Luca and stars Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Tim Robbins, Kristen Stewart and Dax Shepard talk about been the only five cast members in the film. Here we see the screen tests of the kids and how they created their relationship on screen.

Miniatures (9.48 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, producer Michael De Luca, production designer Michael Riva, visual effects supervisor Joe Bauer, production designer Michael Riva, and miniature supervisor Michael Joyce reveal how the House and the Zorgon ships designed and built. They reveal the influences behind the design of the house and the ships and they reveal the amount of detail in the models.

The World of Chris Van Allsburg (12.52 mins)
The author of 'Zathura', 'Jumanji' and 'The Polar Express' talks about how he became a writer/illustrator. He also shows his art and sculpture and how the story of Zathura was introduced in Jumanji.

Zorgons, Robots, and Frozen Lisa (16.42 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, visual effects supervisor Joe Bauer, visual effects producer Joseph Conmy, special effects supervisor Jon G. Belyeu, creature designer Stan Winston, animatronic supervisor Shane Mahan and stars Josh Hutcherson and Kristen Stewart reveal how the creatures and robots were created practically and not with computers for the movie.

Making the Game (14.00 mins)
Director Jon Favreau, production designer Michael Riva, illustrator Phil Saunders, property master Russell Bobbitt and star Josh Hutcherson talk about designing the 'Zathura' game. Here we discover the influences behind the design of the game and it box, as it highlights the 50s style and look.

Trailers
Watch previews of 'The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl', 'Click', 'Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children', 'Open Season', 'Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild', 'The Pink Panther' and 'Yours, Mine and Ours'

OVERALL

The DVD package for 'Zathura' is excellent. Sony Pictures have done a great job, filling the disc with featurettes that cover almost of the film's production. Add to this an excellent commentary and you have a package that fans will really enjoy.

DVD

Jumanji

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2006