Zathura

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Dominic

As much as I love Jumanji I have to admit, despite the heavy nostalgia value, I like Zathura more. Jon Favreau made a great adventure film with two wonderfully realistically portrayed kids and some awesome retro sci-fi vibes.

It's also one of the last films Stan Winston worked on and there's a lot of great practical effects in this one like the creepy Zorgons and the Robot. The effects are great.

My biggest problem with the film is the paradoxical resolution for some of the characters. It makes sense but it depends a lot on how you think the game works and what it means. I don't like the easy resolution it provides though, it raises a few more questions than it answers (although it does lead to hilarious incestual consequences, which I find delightful in a children's film).

The story and characters work much better for me than in Jumanji, as does the comedy. That's probably the biggest factor in my preference. Well that and I'm a nut for retro sci-fi. This one works much better for the adults in the audience as well as the kids. If you've never seen it you should defiantly give it a shot, I love it.