Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

Director:

Jon Favreau

Writers (WGA):

Chris Van Allsburg (book)
David Koepp (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 November 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A New Adventure From the World of Jumanji

Plot:

Two young brothers are drawn into an intergalactic adventure when their house is magically hurtled through space because of the board game they are playing.

Plot Keywords:

Little Boy | Zathura | Surreal | Dumb Waiter | Eavesdropping

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 27

3:00 PM

TNT

Cast

Jonah Bobo	...	Danny
Josh Hutcherson	...	Walter
Dax Shepard	...	Astronaut
Kristen Stewart	...	Lisa
Tim Robbins	...	Dad
Frank Oz	...	Robot (voice)
John Alexander	...	Robot
Derek Mears	...	Lead Zorgon
Douglas Tait	...	Zorgon
Joe Bucaro III	...	Zorgon (as Joe Bucaro)
Jeff Wolfe	...	Zorgon

Also Known As:

Zathura (International: English title) (short title) (USA) (promotional title)
Jumanji 2 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for fantasy action and peril, and some language.

Runtime:

113 min | USA:102 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | UK:PG (cut) | Australia:PG | Germany:6 | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Korea:All | Iceland:10 (original rating) | Finland:K-11 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Mexico:A | France:U | Argentina:Atp | Sweden:11 | Philippines:G | Ireland:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:PG | Hungary:14 | Czech Republic:U | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Brazil:Livre | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Originally conceived as a direct sequel to Jumanji (1995). The visual effects supervisor on that film, Ken Ralston, was lined up to direct before Columbia abandoned the project in favor of adapting Zathura.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the house passes too close to Tsouris-3 and enters its gravity field, objects in the house and attached to the house begin to fall toward Tsouris-3 and away from the house, but all objects, including the house itself, would be subject to the same gravitational force and would fall toward Tsouris-3 together, as demonstrated by Galileo at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Walter: You're such a baby!

Movie Connections:

References Tenacious D: The Complete Masterworks (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hey Man

Surprisingly nice. If I was a kid I'd have loved it........

There are quite a few nice things about this film. In particular, Zathura is an aesthetically intelligent film. The makers did a great job of not relying too heavily on CGI; very thoughtful design and effects. The convincing use of miniatures, real sets and chaos/destruction really brought the story to life. True, its a kids movie. But not so much that it annoys, there's a timeless and attractive notion of adventure. Really hearkens back to the glory of 80's kids adventure movies. The film's gadgets and knick-knacks were great. The house and Zathura game-board were both characters in and of themselves, every bit as important as the actors (who did a fine job).

Throughout I felt like I was watching a little of "Time Bandits" mixed with some "Goonies" and maybe some "Hitchikers Guide..." or "House".

Some folks seem ambivalent to the film. That's unfortunate. Up against a lot of the uninspired sh*t that is released these days, Zathura is very successful in creating a fun and visually convincing escape. Half way through the movie I realized that I was waiting/anticipating the film's failure, that it was going to let me down. Never did.

I appreciated the film.