Close your eye and keep your Mind wide open (Bridge to Terabithia (DVD))

Member Name: sewbizzie

Product:	Bridge to Terabithia (DVD)
Date:	30/04/09 (261 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good story, good effects,

Disadvantages: not as good as I was expecting, sad!

This is a film which was recommended to me on my review for the Spiderwick Chronicles so after enjoying that film so much I went and got this one. The film is made by the same people who made the Chronicles of Narnia which both me and hubby enjoyed so we were looking forward to watching this. I have to say that I did enjoy it but it just wasn't a patch on the others I have mentioned.

The film is about a boy called Jess Aarons who is getting bullied at school and is on his own. He is also left out slightly at home as he is the only boy with 4 sisters. Things soon change for Jess when a new girl moves into the house next to their farm and they find they have similar interests.

The new girl is called Lesley and she too gets picked on at school and is a bit of a loner at home as her parents are always too busy writing boos to take notice of her. The pair strike up a good friendship and when she discovers that Jess is very good at drawing she is inspired to use her excellent imagination and make them a place which is just for them to go and spend time away from everyone and everything else.

The place they choose is in the forest by their houses and you can only get to it by using a rope swing. They soon name this place Terabithia and life here is very different from normal life as the creatures which jess has drawn come ton life in their kingdom and Jess and Lesley are the rulers and they can do as they wish.

How long will Jess and Lesley be able to keep Terabithia a secret and will they ever be accepted at school?

I was expecting a lot from this film as I said before it was made by the creators of the Narnia films but I have to say that I was slightly let down by the film. The story was good and although not believable this can be forgiven as it is a fantasy film for children.

The characters in the film were very good and the actor who played Jess did a wonderful job, for some reason he did remind me of a young Daniel Radcliff. Also the Actress who played Lesley was super in her role. The two actors had a great on screen chemistry and they worked very well together. The supporting actors were also very good and I did enjoy seeing Robert Patrick paying the role of Jess' father. I think he managed to give a good performance and show a different side to his acting ability.

I think that the story did raise some good issues which many children have to deal with everyday, the bullying Jess and Lesley suffered at school was dealt with and portrayed very well and I liked how they did stand up for themselves in the end and so the bullies seemed to ease off from their taunts. I think this film does give out a good message to children.

The fantasy in the film was good but I think I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the creatures which Jess had created come to life in Terabithia and the pair of them spend a little more time there as the small bits we did see were very enjoyable.

Without giving too much away about the ending of the film, I really did not expect it to end as it did and I found it quite emotional and moving. I though that the Director did a great job of the way he handled the subject.

The music in the film was good and although I don't particularly remember any of the tracks I do remember that they were all good and used in the appropriate places.

The DVD which we have is the two disk special edition which is full of bonus material which includes:-

A Quest to the Map of the Forest
Digital Imagination: Bringing Terabithia to life Featurettes
Behind the Book Featurettes
Keep your mind wide open - Anna Sophia Robb Music Video
Director / Writer/ Producer Audio Commentary
Cast Audio Commentary
Cast and Crew Interviews
Gallery of Competition Winners Create paintings and Credit role of Competition entries

ROM Content: Sketching Classes plus 3 A4 colour in printouts / Desk Top Themes / Buddy Icons

Anyone who knows me will know that I do not like watching the bonus material as it spoils the magic of the film for me. I did not particularly buy the 2 disk special for these I only got it as amazingly it was cheaper than the single disk version of the film.

The running time of this film is 91 minutes which I feel is a great length for children to sit and watch this for. The certificate on the film is a PG and I do agree with this as there is the bullying issue which features in the film and there are also some scenes of emotional distress.

I got this DVD for £4.99 on EBay which I felt was a great price so do shop around for a bargain.

I do recommend this film as it is a great children films which shows just what you can do and create with just the use of your imagination but don't expect it to be as good as Narnia or the Spiderwick Chronicles as you will be disappointed.

Summary: A new fantasy film from the makers of Narnia but just not as good