Director: Gabor Csupo
Writer: Jeff Stockwell, David Paterson (Screenplay) Katherine Paterson (Book)
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel, Robert Patrick, Bailee Madison, Kate Butler
Plot: A preteen’s life turns upside down when he befriends the new girl in school and they imagine a whole new fantasy world to escape reality.
Tagline – The beloved novel comes to life.
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Hard Hitting Family Adventure
Story: Bridge to Terabithia starts as we meet Jess (Hutcherson) one of the middle children in a big family living on a farm, he is bullied at school with the new year being no different for him, when new neighbor Leslie (Robb) joins him in school, he might finally get a friend in the hostile side of school.
The two become friends and use the local woods to create their own fantasy world to escape the realities they are living in. the two learn they can remain individual while navigating everyday life.
Thoughts on Bridge to Terabithia
Characters – Jess is one of five children, the only boy from a farm family that struggles to make ends meet. He is bullied at school, left isolated for the most part, this is until he meets the new neighbor who helps him come out of his shell, explore his imagination more, learning how to unlock the potential in his artistic nature. Leslie is the neighbor that moves in, she is an outsider too with a wild imagination which helps Jess come out of his shell, she wants to be different, she accepts people who are different always willing to offer an olive branch to everybody. Ms Edmunds is one o the teachers at the school, she is the music teacher and pushes Jess to follow his potential. Jack is the father of Jess’s family he is forced to work hard through everyday, struggling to keep it together for his family, being stricter towards Jess.
Performances – Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb are two of the best child actors of their generations, their performances are both wonderful and bring the heart and soul to this movie. Zooey Deschanel and Robert Patrick both bring the role models needed to the child roles.
Story – The story follows a boy that is isolated from the world, facing a lonely future because of his family’s financial situation who makes a new school friend who helps him see the world in another light before tragedy comes his way. This is a story that felt like a coming of age movie which was wonderful only it came and throw a shocking twist in the story. we get to see how two people young teenagers learn to accept people in the world ignoring people that are trying to get to them. We do get to enter a fantasy world that only children could create to escape their worlds, which does see them deal their own problems.
Adventure/Family – The adventure comes from the world created by Jess and Leslie to escape their world, filled with creatures that could only come from the minds of the two. The family side of the film shows the two dealing with life issues in the simple ways.
Settings – The film shows that the two kids are in isolated locations, be it in the school or out of it and along with the fantasy location they create.
Special Effects – The effects are mixed because the creatures look fantastic, but there is a running screen that just looks difficult to watch.
Scene of the Movie – Museum trip.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The running scene.
Final Thoughts – This is a shocking family adventure film that fills the coming-of-age story, which shows us how important life can be.
Overall: Coming of age shocker.
Rating
