During my weekly search for something light and fun to watch, as it breaks the monotony of some of these more serious selections I've been focusing on, the second movie on my queue, Bridge to Terabithia, was available instantly but only for a few more days, so I elected this one. I can't remember why I particularly wanted to see this film, other than that it's a fantasy, and I, naturally, love fantasies. I know it's based on a book of the same name, but other than that, I knew nothing about it, and I wasn't sure what to expect, so, in the end, I just sat back and tried to enjoy it.
Bridge to Terabithia tells the story of Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson), who is an outsider at home and at school. At home, he's the only boy and the middle child of five children; he feels alienated by his father (Robert Patrick), who seems to have some high expectations of him, and he can't relate to his mother or any of his sisters, except for maybe his just younger sister, whose name I can't remember right now, who idolizes him. At school, coming from an agrarian household and obsessed with art and drawing as he is, he hasn't made many friends and seems destined to be targeted by all of the bullies, of which his school seems to have many. Fortunately, he has an inspiring music teacher (Zooey Deschanel), who encourages his artistic interests, and makes friends with newcomer Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb), the child of two authors who seem to love her but don't spend much time with her. Her fertile imagination and his artistic talent mesh well, and soon the two friends are off exploring together. With the help of a mysterious rope suspended over a large creek, the two discover an abandoned wood and begin to fashion a magical, imaginary world called Terabithia, where they defend their territory against the Dark Master and hatch schemes to battle the bullies at school. Through Leslie's friendship and their trips to Terabithia, Jess gains more self-confidence to stand up for and be himself.
Bridge to Terabithia reminded me very much of The Neverending Story but for the fact that the fantasy world is not so much another world but the children's visions of mythical creatures and presences represented by fantastical animation, and the misunderstood Bastion-like character of Jess has a friend along for the ride. There were also hints of Narnia, without the actual world in a wardrobe (though the children still christen themselves king and queen), and Willow, given the kinds of creatures the children dreamed up. The story was a pretty run-of-the-mill coming of age tale that would probably very much appeal to children of Jess' age (which is around 12) and/or to children who feel like outcasts and enjoy pursuing artistic interests.
As I am an adult now, eternal child though I try to be, this film didn't really hold my interest. The performances were on par for an average kids' movie, the fantasy involved was not very original (and, by the way, confirms that I will never read the book), and the visual effects were decent if not particularly impressive. I think kids would really enjoy this movie because it offers quite a few life lessons, and some about death too, and does so in an engaging way. There is some loss of innocence, but, on the whole, the film is innocuous fun, and none of the imagery is particularly scary or saddening. Seeing bullies get their comeuppance probably never loses its appeal either.
Because the film lacks originality and retreads themes often revisited in films of this nature, however, I can't say I particularly liked the movie, but I didn't hate it either. Jess' little sister was cute, and his lessons learned were ultimately satisfying, so I think the film merits a 6 for being cute but mediocre. It does not pass the test, however. Maybe if and when I have children, I'll see the need to purchase it, but, in the meantime, I'm not really interested in crossing the Bridge to Terabithia more than once. In fantasy realms that deal with this kind of outsider-struggling-for-confidence theme, I still prefer The Neverending Story - that is, the first one only, not the far inferior sequels - and recommend the same.