Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

[PatrickvD]

thanks for the review. I'm hearing nothing but great things. Really excited about it.

[UmbrellaFish]

Hmm...... Things are looking poistive again. I might check it out.

[I am the Doctor]

I went to see Bridge to Terabithia tonight and thought it was very well done. Now, I have never read the book, so I can't say how faithful the movie is.

The story concerns two outcasts, Jess and Leslie who are played by Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb. AnnaSophia some might recognize from the Johnny Depp version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (she played Violet.) Jess and Leslie, picked on at school and ignored at home by pre-occupied parents, create an imaginary kingdom called Terebithia filled with amazing creatures and dangers(this is where the CGI creatures comes in).

Having never read the story, and judging from the movie trailers which make the film look like a Narnia-style fantasy, which is a bit of a cheat. Bridge is still good film and has appeal but someone who goes expecting a Narnia-type film is going to be disappointed.

I'd give the film a B+. The film has a somewhat tragic ending that might upset some younger children so I'd recommend the film to older children of say 9+ or so.

[Simba3]

Was it as good as Narnia, or not quite? Or not comparable?

[TheSequelOfDisney]

SPOILER QUESTION:

Does Leslie die? I've been dying to know (sorry). I just want to know how faithful the movie is to the book and this would prove it, at least I hope it would.

[goofystitch]

Simba3 wrote:

Was it as good as Narnia, or not quite? Or not comparable?

It's not really comparable. I'm not a huge Narnia fan so I greatly prefer Terabithia. The trailors are very misleading. It's not really a fantasy/adventure film like Narnia was. It's about two outcast kids befriending eachother. They play in the woods and create a magical land in their minds, but the CG scenes shown in the trailor account for about 15-20 minutes of actual screen time. However, I do highly reccomend the film.

[jediliz]

I read the book (or the teacher read it to my class) about 18 or 19 years ago so I might eventually get to the movie.

I'm actually thinking of rereading the book some day in the near future.

[yamiiguy]

I wish I could see it It's not released here until May so if it's released on DVD in the US before or around May, i'll just import

[castleinthesky]

This movie has an 85% at rottentomatoes, so it can't be that bad at all. I plan to see this movie, as my first movie of 2007.

[PatrickvD]

It had about a $6 million opening day. Wich is pretty good considering it is 1 million above 8 Below, wich went on to make about 81 million around the same time last year. Like 8 Below it is also receiving good reviews.

[numba1lostboy]

To answer everyone's question: YES.

The movie is incredible! I loved iit! If I hadn't been sandwiched in between two people I didn't know, I would have cried like a baby. The film is a great emotional journey and an epic for the family.

My only complaints are the shameless Disney Channel plugs in the film and the somewhat-warped Christian theology. If you look at the TV when Jess' older sisters are watching it, you can clearly tell that it's an episode of Hannah Montana. Another instance finds the family sitting together listening to AnnaSophia's "Keep Your Mind Wide Open." Apparently, the family cannot afford a new pair of sneakers for their son, but they get cable . The theology in the film felt kinda misplaced. It wasn't brought in till closer to the end, and then was used as a plot point of sorts. I think the film would have been just as poignant and meaningful without it.

The CGI was great! I loved every scene of Terabithia! The trailer was very misleading for me. I have read the book, and was excited about seeing the film, but the trailer made it seem like an adventure movie (which it is, but not as much as the trailer seemed to say). For anyone wondering, the adventure/action scenes are kept to a healthy minimum, allowing for the more important messages to take place.

AnnaSophia Robb is adorable! She has miles on Dakota, in my opinion. She was magical in her role, and seemed almost born to play it.
Josh Hutcherson was also really good.
The incredibly (incredibly!) adorable little angel who played Maybelle (Jess' sister) stole every scene she was in. When she cried, I cried, and when she and Jess walked through Terabithia, I was bawling inside and loved it.
Zooey Deschanel was great as the teacher, but I would have liked for her character to have been more developed.

The only trailers I saw before the film were Firehouse Dog and Underdog (which retains the ever-so-slightly offensive tagline "One Nation Under Dog"). Both look like undilluted dog piss.

All in all, the film is amazing. I give it a 8.5 out of 10. Definite DVD purchase!

[PatrickvD]

man I cannot wait to see this after all the positive reviews. It sounds like a really good movie. I need this to erase Santa Clause 3 from my mind and prove me Disney has the ability to release good moves outside of summer.

[numba1lostboy]

man I cannot wait to see this after all the positive reviews. It sounds like a really good movie. I need this to erase Santa Clause 3 from my mind and prove me Disney has the ability to release good moves outside of summer.

Teaming up with Walden Media is one of the best decisions that Disney has made of late. They have released nothing but gold.

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

Teaming up with Walden Media is one of the best decisions that Disney has made of late. They have released nothing but gold.

Have you forgotten about Hoot and How to Eat Fried Worms? If you mean both Disney and Walden Media, remember Around the World in 80 Days?

[PatrickvD]

Teaming up with Walden Media is one of the best decisions that Disney has made of late. They have released nothing but gold.

Have you forgotten about Hoot and How to Eat Fried Worms? If you mean both Disney and Walden Media, remember Around the World in 80 Days?

Holes, Terabithia and Narnia are the only ones that count.

Around the World in 80 Days doesn't count because it isn't a movie... it's trash...

[memnv]

I went and saw this movie today,I have not read the book, it was not what I expected but I did like it. and Ihave to admit I was teary eyed.I did not take the kids but I will let them see it when it is out on DVD

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I just came back from the movie, and I have to say that it was very good. I had previously read the book, but the only thing that I could remember was that Leslie dies. And that was seriously all I could remember. Anyway, this is a definite DVD purchase for me.

[Maerj]

I never read the book but I did know about the misleading trailers when I went to see this film yesterday.

I must say that this film was really, really good. This film is a bit of a tear-jerker, heart wrenching type of movie but it is very well done. Well worth seeing in the theater. The two lead actors did a really great job... just don't go into this movie expecting a Narnia type of film at all. Most of the fantasy type scenes in the movie are actually in the trailer! I know they had to market the film somehow and I guess that this is just the path they chose. It is a bit misleading but it is a really good movie that I think people will really enjoy as long as they know that its not a big fantasy epic.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Oh yes, I forgot something from my last post. If you do go, and if you find yourself among a huge population where the age is less than 10, please find a space empty from them.

I had a very difficult time trying to enjoy the movie. To my left was a lady with about 3 children. One of the children, about 3 or 4 years old, decided to sit upon her lap. And, lucky me, the child just happened to lean towards me, and one time he was on top of me. Not very fun. I feel sorry for really anyone who can actually understand the movie because they will have a difficult time when 4/5 of the people there were less than 10. I feel sorry for myself. Please, feel sorry for me.

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

Well, I read the book, so I was very surprised to see how they "changed" it with the trailers. Which of course wasn't true for the movie, as aside from maybe extending the fantasy stuff, the movie was nearly exactly like the book.

Unforuntately, I didn't care for the book, so I didn't care for the movie. I think the problem is I don't care for "tearjerkers" as they never work on me. Not much excitment, humor or just overall fun to it, so I was actually pretty bored with it. While hardly comparable, I would pick "Holes" or "Narnia" over this anyday of the week. But, at least it's still the best film of 2007! Seriously, though, critics are being way to light on this film.

I should've seen "Ghost Rider" as I'm sure even if it was terrible, I would've had much more fun.

6/10

The only trailers I saw before the film were Firehouse Dog and Underdog (which retains the ever-so-slightly offensive tagline "One Nation Under Dog"). Both look like undilluted dog piss.

Lucky! I got tortured to the max and am still feeling the pain(in other words, I saw the new trailer for "Shrek the Third")!

Well, thankfully, I did see the teaser for "Ratatouille" and the trailer for "Meet the Robinsons", and thankfully, the audience reaction still seems very possitive(especially MTR with Tiny the T-Rex ). Disney can still be #1 in 2007!